


Time and Tempering

by UselessLilium (o0whitelily0o)



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Background Relationships, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-04-07 05:40:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14074107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0whitelily0o/pseuds/UselessLilium
Summary: AU: A few years before Mikuru was finally able to bring him home from the orphanage, Chrono developed a habit of sneaking out in secret. After all, there was a pair of brothers living in a large, old house not far away, who always looked forward to seeing him.





	1. Prologue: Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> 5/12/18: I had to edit the ending of this chapter a lot before I could start on chapter 2, so please make sure you've read the current version before going any further!

Chrono took a look at the tree branch overhead. Definitely too high to reach. And the wall behind him was too tall and smooth to climb. Maybe he could’ve tried, but the kitten curled up in his arms, trembling and too scared to move, made that impossible. He frowned, biting his lower lip. At least it didn’t look hurt, and he only had a few scrapes and bruises from the fall himself, thanks to the bushes he landed in. But what was he supposed to do now? He looked back at the wall, checking for any sign of an opening. But it was all well-managed bricks in either direction.

His arms tightened a little around the cat as he heard footsteps. Squeezing himself between the bushes and wall, he tried to spot the source. A trio of adults, of course, talking and not noticing him at all. Maybe he could just ask them to help him get out... but he quickly shoved the idea out of his head. If he asked them for help, they’d probably want to know what he was doing in their yard. People didn’t keep walls up because they _wanted_ strange kids to get in. And if they were _really_ mad, they might want to talk to his parents.

Kneeling down to stay as out of sight as possible, Chrono wondered what the caretakers at the orphanage would do if they knew he’d snuck out like this. It was against the rules, he knew that. But he just... he just felt so restless lately. Always stuck behind the iron fence, always watching other kids walk past with their families and friends. And the caretakers were always so busy, half the time he didn’t think they actually knew whether he was there or not. So he didn’t think it’d be too bad if he just snuck out for a quick walk.

But... now that he was on the verge of getting in trouble, suddenly all kinds of awful thoughts were hitting him. If they were really mad and wanted to punish him... what if they stopped letting Mikuru visit?

Even the thought made his breath shorten, and he had to shake his head to dispel it. No, he wasn’t in trouble yet. All he had to do was find a way out, and get back quick. There had to be a door or gate or something _somewhere_. The kitten meowed softly, and he pet its head. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “I’ll get you out too.”

If the grown-ups heard the cat, they didn’t pay any attention to it, because the footsteps didn’t come back. Chrono peeked over the bushes to make sure, but no one else was walking  by yet. He could see some people in the house, through the windows, but they weren’t looking outside. If he just stayed hidden between the wall and the plants, he thought he’d be fine. And as long as he followed the wall, then eventually he’d have to find some kind of opening. Nodding to himself, he picked a direction and started headed off to the left.

But while this plan was great in theory, Chrono quickly realized that the property was much, _much_ larger than he thought. He kept walking, but even after reaching a corner where the stone wall intersected with a more normal-looking wood fence, there was no sign of an exit. And the buildings were all so old-fashion, and there were less and less people around the further he went. It was... a little creepy. Like he’d fallen into an entirely different world. Everything was so quiet and still. He even stumbled across a pond, surrounded by rocks and trees, that looked like part of a picture book. Maybe he should turn around and look in the other direction? He didn’t have a watch or clock to tell how long he’d been in here, but it felt like forever. And the longer he stayed, the more likely it was that either someone was gonna find him, or notice he wasn’t at the orphanage. The cat meowed again, louder and more like a cry. It still wasn’t trying to move or anything, but that just worried Chrono more. How long had it been stuck in that tree, anyway? Maybe it wasn’t just scared, maybe it was hungry or thirsty too, or even sick.

“Onii-chan, did you hear that?”

Chrono jumped, and darted behind one of the larger rocks. Peeking out around it carefully, he noticed a pair of boys across the pond, sitting on a porch. It was the first time he’d seen any other kids since he got here... but he couldn’t believe they’d be any help. They’d just tell their parents on him, probably. He crouched back down and hoped they’d ignore it. He must have squished the cat a little, though, because it gave another loud, squeaky meow.

“Yeah, I think it might be a cat...”

“Shh...” Chrono whispered, petting the kitten some more in hopes of calming it down. He tried to figure out whether it was a better idea to sneak away or just stay still so he didn’t draw any more attention. But just as he made up his mind to try and get away-

“Oh!” A boy with long white hair and gold eyes, who looked a little older than him, had spotted him. Freezing up, Chrono couldn’t even stand as he walked towards him. “Um, hello there. Are you lost?” The boy with fluffy blue hair - he seemed younger, so maybe Chrono’s age? - was following, half-hidden behind him.

His heart was pounding, and Chrono couldn’t even speak. He just nodded stiffly, while the cat in his arms meowed again.

The older boy looked down at it, and smiled at him. “You were looking for your pet, I’m guessing?”

Glancing away, Chrono’s grip on the cat loosened. “...S’not mine.”

“Oh...” The older boy tilted his head. “Then, er, what are you doing with it?”

“It was stuck in a tree and... and I fell in trying to get it down.” Chrono looked at his shoes, shuffling them in the grass. “And now I can’t find the way out...” Saying it out loud like that, he felt kind of dumb. But he couldn’t have just left it up there. Not when no one else was coming for it. He just _couldn’t_.

“...I see. It sounds like you’re very responsible, trying to help it like that.” Chrono blinked at him. The older boy didn’t _look_ like he was making fun of him - he was smiling very gently, and if anything he sounded impressed. It helped Chrono relax a little bit. “Is there a reason you didn’t want to ask anyone for help?”

After a moment, Chrono nodded silently. For some reason, that seemed to encourage the younger boy. “Um - if you want to leave without anyone knowing, I know a spot where the fence is broken.” The older boy seemed surprised at that, but didn’t say anything. “I heard some of the gardeners talking about it.”

“That’s great, Maa-kun!” The younger boy - Maa-kun, apparently, but that had to be a nickname - beamed at the praise, and the older boy looked back to Chrono and added, “Just let us clean up first, and then we’ll help you get out of here, okay?”

A little stunned at how easily that went, Chrono simply nodded again. He followed after them as the two boys headed back to the porch, picking up what looked like... cards? But they each had their own deck, it seemed. And they all had pictures on them. Chrono didn’t know there were cards like that - the orphanage just had one deck, and everyone shared them and played things like Old Maid. He felt a little curious, but now wasn’t the time to ask. When they were done, Maa-kun turned back to him and said, “Okay, I think it’s over this way.”

He led the way, looking kinda happy about it. As they moved away from the porch, though, there were a few adults off to the side of the house, chatting. Maa-kun almost yelped, and stopped immediately. He just started taking a step backwards, when the older boy walked confidently ahead of them out into the open. One of the grown-ups asked, “Kazumi-sama, is something the matter?”

The older boy nodded, and said, “I’m sorry to bother you, but have you spoken to Mother yet? I thought I heard her asking for you.”

As Kazumi (Chrono couldn’t even imagine using that honorific, he’d never even heard it in real life before) talked to them and started bringing them into the house, Maa-kun managed to shake off whatever was bothering him. Straightening back up, he grabbed the hem of Chrono’s shirt and tugged him towards the trees. Nodding, Chrono followed him, carefully petting the kitten to keep it relaxed. The two got pretty far, enough that it was difficult to see the house at all anymore through all the trees, before Maa-kun spoke again. “Actually, most of the fence is pretty old. The last time there was a storm, some places got smashed really bad,” he explains, peering further ahead, “I heard them talking about getting it all replaced, but hardly anyone comes back here, so they haven’t bothered yet. Just the stuff close to the house.”

“They can’t even take care of the whole yard right?” Chrono gaped, “What’s the point of having such a big one then?”

Maa-kun shrugged. “It’s just always been part of the house, I guess.”

“Sounds like a waste.” The orphanage wasn’t bad or anything. The yard was nice, and it wasn’t overcrowded. But that just made the idea of so much belonging to just one family even more boggling. How rich were these people...?

The younger boy glanced back at him with a kind of tense half-smile. “It is pretty weird, huh? If they don’t want it, there no reason to keep it.” Then he spotted something up ahead, running ahead and waving at Chrono to follow. “Ah, here it is! I knew this was the spot.” Sure enough, there was a break in the dark, heavy wood that made up the fence. There were some lighter boards patching up the gap, but they weren’t even really nailed in right. All it took was some wiggling, and one of them popped right out.

Chrono breathed a sigh of relief. It looked just big enough for him to fit through. “Thanks a lot. It would’ve taken ages to find this by myself.”

Maa-kun beamed. “No problem!”

They jumped almost in sync at the sound of footsteps, but the familiar voice calling, “Ah, there you both are,” eased any worries about being found out. The younger boy lifted an arm and waved at Kazumi, who smiled and looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry, it took longer than I thought to get away.” He looked at the fence. “So here it is, huh... I had no idea. Great job, Maa-kun.”

The younger boy’s smile managed to get even brighter at the praise, and he laughed a little bit. It was nice to see, but watching the two of them was... a little uncomfortable. It felt like scratching at a scab. Chrono looked down at the cat, who seemed to have fallen asleep at some point. “Um, thanks again. Sorry to bother you guys.”

“It’s no bother, I’m glad we could help,” Kazumi said, and turned that gentle smile back towards him, “Is it okay to ask your name?”

...It was really, _really_ hard to say no to that smile. “Chrono.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Chrono. I’m Kazumi,” the older boy said, putting a hand on the younger boy’s head, “And this is my little brother, Kazuma.”

Kazuma pouted a little. “I was gonna tell him myself...”

Kazumi laughed, looking a little sheepish. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay.” The younger boy glanced back over at Chrono, and looked a little shy when he said, “Um. Since you know where this is now... you could get in this way too, if you wanted. No one ever comes out to that part of the house, usually, so it’d just be us. And next time we could play together.” Then he looked up at Kazumi. “We could, right?”

“Well, that’s up to him,” Kazumi said, ruffling his brother’s hair before dropping his hand back to his side and looking at Chrono again. He didn’t look nervous, exactly, but the confidence he’d had earlier wasn’t showing at all. “It is pretty safe there, but I’m sure coming all this way wouldn’t be easy... I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble on our account. So, only if you really want to. And if you’re sure it’s okay.”

Chrono paused, needing a moment to absorb the offer. They actually _wanted_ him to come back...? The thought left a fluttery kind of feeling in his stomach. “I... I dunno if I can. But I’ll think about it.”

Kazuma seemed to take that as agreement, grinning already. Kazumi was smiling again too, but it seemed more polite than anything as he waved while Chrono snuck through the gap in the fence. Behind him, the two brothers put the loose board back into place. He paused for a moment, and looked down at the cat in his arms. What should he do with it now? He hadn’t thought that far. But he definitely couldn’t just put it down on the street somewhere. It was just a baby.

Scrunching his face in concentration, he decided, at least, to head back to the orphanage. He could see the street from here, and once he got back onto the sidewalk and saw the other buildings, he was sure he could figure out the rest of the way. Maybe he could say he found the cat out in the yard by itself. The caretakers would probably know how to find an owner. Even if they realized he snuck out, no matter how angry they were at him, they wouldn’t take it out on the cat. He was sure of that, at least.

In his second bit of luck that day, Chrono found he hadn’t been gone as long as it felt. And when presented with the kitten, the grown-ups were too busy discussing how to feed it and whether they should put up flyers for it to ask all that many questions about where he found it, or how he got scraped up. Just like he thought, it was so busy, no one realized he’d been gone at all.

 

* * *

 

A few days later, the cat’s owner was found. A mother and daughter came by the orphanage to pick it up. The little girl was so happy she started crying when she saw it, promising over and over that she wouldn’t let it get lost again.

Chrono watched the three of them leave. It was a good thing. That cat was going home to a family that had missed it all this time. He was really happy for it.

And almost a week later, after Mikuru called to apologize for not being able to make it that day, Chrono decided to sneak back out. He’d been wondering for a while now, and he really wanted to see if that fence was still broken. And if maybe those two boys were still waiting to see him again.

His heart was pounding the whole way there, and when he found the same off-color boards right in the same place, his hands shook while he pushed them forward and squeezed through. Standing in the yard again, he tried to take a breath and calm down. He didn’t really understand why it felt so much scarier this time, but there was only one way to get over it.

Once he’d put the fencing back in place, he started off towards where he remembered the porch being. Chrono felt like he knew pretty well which direction to go, but all the trees looking so similar made him doubt himself. The pond, at least, was helpful; once he spotted that, he knew exactly where he was. Even before he saw Kazumi sitting by himself, back towards him and head down. That, actually, made Chrono hesitate a little. Sure, Kazumi had been nice last time, but Kazuma was the one who actually asked him to come back, and he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Chrono took a step backwards, half-hiding behind one of the larger trees. Maybe it’d be better to wait until both of them were there.

But after a few seconds, he frowned and shook his head. No, there was no telling how long that’d be. And... and if Kazumi didn’t want him around and was just being nice for Kazuma, then it’d be better to find out right away. He didn’t want to be a nuisance and get between the two of them. Taking a deep breath, Chrono slowly stepped out into the open and walked towards the older boy.

“Um... hi,” he said, waving a hand. Kazumi jumped, before looking back over his shoulder towards him right away, eyes wide and face almost blank. For a moment Chrono wondered if maybe he’d waited too long and now Kazumi didn’t even recognize him. Then he broke into a warm smile, shifting to face Chrono fully.

“Hello! It’s good to see you. I thought maybe you wouldn’t be able to visit again.” Chrono nodded, not knowing how to respond to the switch into plain eagerness, especially directed at him. Kazumi seemed to notice, because he leaned back a little and asked, more politely, “Were you able to get the cat back home alright?”

Relieved, Chrono nodded. “Yeah. Its owner came and got it.”

“That’s great. I bet Maa-kun will be relieved to hear it too.”

“Is he busy right now?”

Kazumi looked towards the door, still smiling, but looking a little... not bored, exactly, but something close to it. Chrono wondered how long he’d been waiting here on his own. “Yes. He’ll probably come by later, though, if you want to wait.”

Chrono nodded again. He would have wanted to anyway, but the thought of leaving Kazumi sitting here by himself just cemented it. He sat down on the porch himself, to get a look at what Kazumi had been so focused on earlier. He blinked, heart skipping another beat. It was the same cards from the other day, all laid out very neatly in a few different piles. Before he could stop himself, he asked, “What are these all for?”

Right away, Kazumi’s eyes lit up. “The cards? They’re for a game called ‘Vanguard’. Have you never played?”

Chrono shook his head. “We don’t have anything like that at the orphanage.”

The light dimmed slightly, and Chrono wondered if he wasn’t supposed to mention that. But instead of saying anything about it, Kazumi just smiled again and asked, “Well, do you want me to teach you about it?”

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all! It’s my favorite game.” Kazumi beamed. “Alright... so, everything takes place on a planet called Cray...”

Kazumi was good at explanations, Chrono thought, as he launched into a whole story. The scene he drew describing Cray and its inhabitant was so vivid. His own deck was part of Nubatama, he explained, a clan of ninjas, all made up of monsters and dragons. He talked about the skill ‘Afterimage’ that they used, and how it was good for quick, sneak attacks that kept the units safe afterwards. The more he talked, the easier it was to picture. Attacks shrouded in darkness, living among treacherous mountains and deep forests. It felt like he could see it right in front of him.

“And by playing this game, we can go there too,” Kazumi said, holding up a card with a picture of a strong-looking dragon, its arms and wings spread, the name ‘Shiranui’ under it, “By using an avatar, we can fight alongside our allies, as their vanguard.”

Chrono felt himself staring. His heart was beating fast again. “‘Vanguard’...”

Kazumi nodded. “It means ‘the one who leads’.” He smiled at the card for a moment, before placing it back alongside the others. “That connection, that bond... you and your units both draw strength from it. It helps you to change, until you’re the kind of leader who can bring them victory.”

As Kazumi’s words sunk in, Chrono closed his eyes for a few moments, and just tried to picture it. A whole other world, full of beings who would fight alongside him. Who needed his strength, and would share their own with him. When he opened them again, he said, “I... I wanna try playing.” The words came out backed with a determination that surprised himself. Still, he just looked Kazumi in the eye and asked, “Can I?”

Right away, the older boy said, “Of course!” A touch of playfulness came into Kazumi’s expression. “Let’s see... I should explain all the rules first, and when Kazuma gets here, you can borrow my deck to play against him. I bet he’d love that.”

And all at once, Chrono felt himself smiling back. “Okay!”


	2. Prologue: Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I left a note on the first chapter as well, but in case you missed it: the ending of chapter 1 underwent a major overhaul about a month prior to this chapter being uploaded. If you haven't already, please make sure you go back and read the new version before continuing!

When he thought back to that moment later - sliding open the door to the veranda and seeing not just his brother, but the red-headed boy who’d shown up out of nowhere a few weeks ago - Kazuma would mostly just remember how excited he felt. He’d just nearly accepted that Chrono wasn’t going to visit again, and then there he was, just as suddenly as the first time. If he ever remembered the momentary twinge of worry at seeing Kazumi playing with and smiling at someone else, he quickly brushed it aside.

It was certainly easy enough to ignore at the time. Kazuma gaped, blinking a few times to make sure he wasn’t mistaken, and then then hurried right inside, only taking enough care to make sure he didn’t slam the door shut. “You really came,” he grinned, half-kneeling half-sliding down next to the two of them, “I thought you forgot.”

“Sorry,” Chrono said, smiling a little back, “I had to sneak out, so...”

Kazuma shook his head. “It’s okay! You’re here now.” Maybe it was a little stupid, getting this excited over him. But... well, he couldn’t help it. There weren’t a lot of surprises in this house, and the ones that did happen... well, they weren’t really fun. But Chrono showing up had been. Sneaking around with him, actually being able to help him out, had been exciting. A relief, really.

...And, okay, maybe some of that relief was from the way it interrupted his fight with Kazumi. It would’ve been his third loss that day if they had kept going. Kazumi never got impatient with him, but whatever he might say, even he couldn’t really be having a good time if he was playing against someone who hadn’t managed to win even once yet.

“Maa-kun,” his big brother said, “Chrono’s interested in learning how to play Vanguard. Do you want to show him?”

Kazuma turned up to him and stared, pointing at himself. “Eh? Me?”

“Of course. Why not?”

“Well, it’s just...” Kazumi was the better player. He was stronger and smarter, and everything Kazuma knew about Vanguard was something Kazumi taught him anyway... wouldn’t Chrono learn best straight from him? Kazuma fidgeted a little. “Are you sure...?”

Then he caught sight of Chrono again, looking down and not smiling as much. “It’s okay. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Kazuma’s chest felt tight. He’d been hoping Chrono would come visit again, and he had and Kazuma was letting him down already. And... and Kazumi did think he could do it. So, Kazuma shook his head. “No, I do! I’ll teach you everything I know.” He pumped his fists, smiling and determined. “But I won’t go easy on you!”

Chrono looked back up, and now he started grinning, big and toothy. “Okay!”

The first game wasn’t a long one - Chrono put up a good fight, but he clearly didn’t know much about how to use Kazumi’s deck. Somewhere deep down, that was a relief too. Kazuma didn’t know what he’d do if he lost to Chrono on his very first try. He would’ve been letting both of them down if he couldn’t even win as a teacher. But even after losing, Chrono’s eyes were shining, and he asked for a rematch right away.

It was pretty interesting. Even though the deck was the same, fighting Chrono was still totally different than fighting Kazumi. Fighting against the way Kazumi played, it was like trying to catch a bird or a snake. He’d dart in and out, quick and cautious and always in motion, trapping and wheedling down Kazuma’s teams bit by bit. Chrono seemed... impatient, he thought. He just wanted to fight head-on, not take the time Kazumi normally would to pull together a plan. That he put up a good fight despite that was a testament to his imagination. Once or twice, Kazuma even felt himself getting pulled into his tempo before reasserting himself.

When Chrono finally had to start heading back home, Kazuma was worried that losing like that might make him not want to come by again. But as Chrono was saying good-bye, he smiled and said, “Next time I’ll definitely win!”

Hearing that, Kazuma felt like he understood a little why Kazumi kept playing with him, even though he always lost. He really did want to see how much better Chrono could get. It was exciting, thinking about the next fight and all the ways Chrono could improve, and all the ways he’d have to rise to the challenge. If Kazumi felt like that too... then even if he lost again, as long as he kept trying, they’d both have fun.

And even if it was being used by someone else, it was still Kazumi’s deck he beat. He could win against Kazumi for real someday. He was sure of that.

So when they saw Chrono safely off, he turned to his big brother and said, “C’mon, you didn’t get a chance to play at all. Your turn!”

 

* * *

 

Chrono’s visits never really became regular, but after that he did start coming once a week or two. Usually Kazuma would be out there together with Kazumi already, but sometimes Kazuma wound up stuck for one reason or other, whether taking longer than planned on homework, or having to wait until the adults weren’t hovering around to visit Kazumi’s wing. Sometimes, he’d show up and see Chrono and Kazumi already talking together, just the two of them.

That much didn’t bother him. The bonus of seeing Chrono easily outweighed whatever problem had kept him late. But... once or twice, he’d hold back and watch them a little bit first.

Kazuma knew how his big brother looked when he was just being polite. The way he talked to Chrono wasn’t like that. He smiled at Chrono - a lot, really nice smiles - and always looked interested in whatever they were talking about.

It kind of made Kazuma realize, he’d never actually seen Kazumi with friends before. No one ever came over to the house, and other than school, Kazumi never went anywhere either. This was really the first time he’d seen Kazumi act this way around... well, anyone other than him. It was a strange thing to realize.

One day, about a month and a half after Chrono’s first visit, Kazumi snuck some treats out to the porch. It was a small box of candy that someone on the staff had given him. He insisted on sharing them, even letting Kazuma pick what he wanted first. And then Chrono arrived, but when Kazumi offered him the same thing, he just shook his head and said, “Oh, it’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“It’s fine, I’d rather share,” Kazumi said, then paused when he noticed Chrono’s continued hesitation, “Or... maybe you don’t like sweets?”

Chrono shuffled his feet, smiling a little bashfully. “Sorry. It’s nice of you to offer, but you two can-”

And Kazumi, to Kazuma’s surprise, actually looked flustered. “No, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about that. Let’s see...” Kazuma didn’t think it was a big deal - they didn't have to eat anything while Chrono was around, after all - but Kazumi was thinking hard. “What do you like to eat? I can try to get you something too.”

Chrono blinked, waving his hands. “You really don’t have to, it’s fine.”

“No, I insist. It’d be rude to make you sit here without anything.” Then he looked back at Kazuma, and asked, “That is, if it’s alright with you. Do you mind waiting here with him until I get back?”

“No, it’s fine.” It wasn’t like his big brother to act so... nervous. If he felt like he had to do this, then Kazuma wasn’t going to tell him not to. Besides, he didn’t get to spend much time with just Chrono. The idea was kind of fun.

“Well, if you’re sure... maybe something salty?” Chrono was still fidgeting. “But, seriously, it’s not a big deal-”

But Kazumi just smiled and shook his head, “Please, allow me. I’ll be right back.” And then without wasting another moment, he got up and headed out to the hall.

“...Kazumi’s really polite,” Chrono said.

Kazuma couldn’t help laugh a little. “Yeah. Everyone says he’s gonna do a great job when he’s the head of the family.”

Chrono hummed, then sat down next to Kazuma. “I guess I can see that...” Then, in his usual direct way, “So if he’s gonna be in charge, are you gonna be like, his right hand or something?”

“...Maybe,” Kazuma finally said, as he still tried to figure out if that idea was exciting or terrifying.

“You don’t want to?” Chrono tilted his head. “...Do _you_ want to be in charge?”

That answer, at least, came much easier. “Nuh uh, no way.” He kicked his legs over the side of the porch a few times. “I do wanna help him. I’m just... not sure if I’m good enough for that yet.”

“What d’you mean?”

“I mean, Onii-chan’s super smart and strong, y’know?” Kazuma looked down. “He doesn’t really _need_ anyone helping him. He can do anything all by himself.”

“...I dunno,” Chrono said, “I think he’d be really happy to let you help, if you asked.”

Kazuma bit his tongue and kept himself from retorting that yeah, Kazumi probably would, but he’d still be _letting_ him help. He wouldn’t actually _need_ it. Kazuma didn’t want to just... be tolerated. Placated. He wanted to be someone who could actually hold his own against his brother. Do something for him no one else could. He wanted to actually _matter_.

But... he didn’t know how to explain any of this without getting upset. And he really didn’t want to spoil one of Chrono’s visits by being a brat. So he just smiled and said, “Maybe.” And then, before Chrono could ask anything else, “Sorry, I should’ve asked Onii-chan to leave his deck behind. I guess we have to wait until he gets back to play.”

Chrono shook his head, smiling a little awkwardly. “It’s okay. I wish I had my own deck, though... then I wouldn’t always have to borrow.”

Kazuma shrugged, smiling a little too. “Nah, don’t worry about that, we don’t mind. And I mean, wouldn’t have one either if he hadn’t gotten me one.”

“You didn’t pick it yourself?”

“No,” Kazuma fidgeted a little, pulling his deck out of his pocket to look at them. “Why, do you think that’s bad...?”

“Oh, definitely not, just...” The other boy leaned back, looking up as he seemed to try and figure out exactly what he wanted to say. “When you fight, it’s like the whole thing works perfect for you, I guess.” He looks over and smiles at you. “Kazumi must know a lot about the game, if he was able to make a deck that fits you that well.”

Pride flared in Kazuma’s chest then, for himself and his brother. “Right? He seriously knows everything.” He took another look at his cards. At Luard, smirking up at him, determined and confident. “I couldn’t believe it when he gave them to me. He said if anyone could bring out its potential, it was me.”

“...It must be nice.”

Something in the way Chrono said that gave Kazuma pause. When he looked, the other boy was smiling, but there was something in his eyes that seemed off. It was a distant kind of look, that reminded him of Kazumi a little. His grip tightened on his cards for a second, and then Kazuma grinned and said, “You can use it too, if you ever want to try fighting him. But you gotta beat me first!”

Chrono gave him a small glare, that quickly shifted into a smirk. “You got it. I’m definitely gonna win today!”

Kazuma started to say something, then flinched, and went silent. There were footsteps coming - heavy ones, that sounded like an adult. Without waiting another second, he whispered, “C’mere,” and quietly pushed himself off the porch to hide underneath. Chrono followed suit without question. He could still hear the footsteps, and the door sliding open further inside. Kazuma stayed still and quiet, barely even breathing. After maybe a minute, they heard the door slide shut again, and the footsteps walking away.

He let out a breath, and started moving back out. “Sorry about that... I’m, um, not really supposed to be in this part of the house.”

“But you’re always here with Kazumi.”

“Yeah, but... I mean, by myself.” Kazuma fidgeted. “It’s one of Kazumi’s rooms, after all.”

Chrono blinked. “Why would anyone else care about that? He obviously wants you here. They should listen to him.”

Frowning, Kazuma looked down at his knees. “They just... don’t want me to bother him, that’s all.”

It was obvious Chrono didn’t exactly understand what he meant. The confusion on his face was clear. But he let it drop, only saying, “Well, whoever that was is gone now,” peering carefully back up into the room. Kazuma nodded, grateful for the chance to change the subject, and switched immediately back to talking about Vanguard. And _finally_ , Kazumi came back, a small plate of senbei with him.

Maybe Kazuma was still a little rattled from almost being caught. Or maybe that wasn’t being fair to Chrono - he _had_ worked hard to get stronger. But either way, when they all finally settled back down and Kazumi lent Chrono his deck again, for the first time, Chrono actually won.

 

* * *

 

There were two things Kazuma realized, watching Kazumi and Chrono fight. One was that Chrono had a much easier time using his deck than he had with Kazumi’s. The Dragwizards were much better suited to his more aggressive, straightforward kind of fighting.

The second was that his brother’s skill really wasn’t a joke. Kazuma did wonder sometimes if maybe Kazumi wasn’t as overwhelmingly strong as it seemed, and maybe it was just that he was really bad at this game. But seeing Kazumi fight someone else for a change settled that question pretty fast. Chrono might be able to snag a win or two against him, but Kazumi remained steadily out of reach.

That part was a quiet kind of relief. But the first... Kazuma kept trying to pin down how he felt, and it kept not quite coming together. In a way, it was interesting seeing how someone else used Luard and Morfessa and everyone else. He watched Chrono make mistakes he’d made on his own, and he recognized the ways Kazumi closed in on him even as they were still unfolding. Sometimes it made Kazuma feel more assured - if he could understand those mistakes and strategies, he could definitely overcome them, if he just kept working at it.

But sometimes- sometimes, it made a thought itch at the back of his mind.

It had been so scary, the first time he went against what every adult had told him and the rules against trespassing on any of the wings for the ‘main family’. But he’d... he’d wanted to see his big brother up close, at least once. He wanted to know if Kazumi was as serious and scary as he looked. And when Kazumi turned and smiled at him for the first time, and invited him closer... it felt special. Kazumi laughing and playing with him felt special. Getting that deck from him felt special.

It still did. There still wasn’t anyone else in the family who was this nice to him. But... when he watched Kazumi’s eyes light up when Chrono pulled off a good combo against him, or heard him laugh and call Chrono ‘Kuro-kun’, he couldn’t help but wonder if maybe he was the only one who thought so.

Maybe it didn’t matter who had come to see him, and Kazumi would have been that nice to anyone.

And when he thought of how nervous Kazumi had acted, how eager he’d been to do something that Chrono would like, the thought just itched and nagged at him even worse.

“Onii-chan,” Kazuma managed to make himself ask one day, when it was just the two of them, “What do you think about Chrono?”

Kazumi tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean...” What did he mean, really? “Do you like him?”

“Well, of course I do.” He smiled. “Don’t you?”

Kazuma nodded. It’d be easier, he thought, if he didn’t. If Chrono wasn’t interesting and nice and fun to play with. It’d feel... safer.

His brother put a hand on his head, petting gently. “Maa-kun, did something happen? Are you upset about something?”

He looked up at him, just out of the corner of his eyes. Kazumi smiled at him, patient and honest, and guilt knotted his stomach. What could he even say? All Kazumi was doing was getting along with someone else. For him to get upset over that, it was- it was stupid, and selfish, and ungrateful, and everything _everyone_ in this house was always saying about him.

“...It’s nothing,” Kazuma finally said, shaking his head and smiling again. “I was just wondering if you had any friends at school like him.”

“Ah... well, not really, I guess.” Kazumi’s eyes drifted off, his smile tightening for a moment, before softening into something more fond. “But I think Kuro-kun is pretty unique. There aren’t a lot of people who would take the risk to come all the way here, just to play some games. Especially knowing they’d get in trouble.” He looked back over at Kazuma and pat his head again. “I think it’s pretty brave, don’t you?”

Kazuma felt a flush of embarrassment. From the way Kazumi was looking at him when he said that... he was obviously talking about both of them. It might have been nice to hear, but Kazuma was too busy feeling mortified at his worry being seen through just like that. Kazumi really did know everything...

Still, he smiled back at his brother, just a little. “Yeah, I guess so.” And did his best not to think about how, if Kazumi really did think they were similar, then maybe he was right to be afraid he wasn’t needed.

 

* * *

 

He had to stop worrying so much. Really, he did everything he could to stop. Kazuma reminded himself all the time that nothing he was worrying about had come true. Kazumi hadn’t started ignoring him or anything. Chrono kept coming to play with both of them. Being afraid he might get left out was just that. A stupid, selfish, pointless fear.

He reminded himself of all the things Kazumi still only did with him. Like pat his head, for one. Or read stories to him. And his deck... his deck was proof that he was special to Kazumi, wasn’t it? Chrono had said so too. It was something Kazumi put together just for him. It was proof Kazumi understood him, and believed in him, more than anyone else.

He worked so hard to remember all of that, until it was a constant litany in the back of his head. When he overheard another adult talking about how him being there was a disgrace and embarrassment. When his mom smiled in a nervous kind of way and asked him if there wasn’t any way he could try just a little harder. When his father looked at him, not needing words at all to make the force of his disappointment hit. He thought about Kazumi’s hand petting his hair, and his calm and gentle voice, and about Luard’s own determination in the face of everyone saying it was a waste of time.

He tried. He tried _so hard_.

Until one day, he watched Chrono and Kazumi fighting together. The way Chrono’s grin grow from determined to outright cocky, like he knew he would draw the triggers he needed before even looking. The surprise - almost awe - on Kazumi’s face as the attack managed to get through all his plans and defenses.

And then he watched Kazumi lay down his sixth and final damage.

Kazuma still tried. He smiled, congratulating Chrono as enthusiastically as he could. He really... _really_ wanted to be happy for his friend. Wasn’t it amazing that someone managed to beat his big brother? And with _his_ deck, even!

It was proof, he tried to tell himself, that he could win too. If he just kept trying.

He told himself this, until Chrono finally left to head back home. And then he excused himself to go back to his own room, even though Kazumi tried to say something to him.

He had been trying. He’d been trying for so long, with everything he had. All Chrono needed was a fraction of that time, and he was able to find a way to win. Maybe... maybe if Chrono had been using a deck he was good with from the start, Kazuma wouldn’t have been able to beat him either. Maybe Chrono had just _always_ been stronger than him. Just like Kazumi.

When he got back to his own room, he curled up on the futon. Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow he’d try again. He’d fight as hard as he could, without copying Chrono, he’d find his own way to win and be their equal. Kazumi’s equal.

But even as he did, the memory of Chrono’s win, Kazumi’s awe, the adults’ whispers, all started to overlap. And he wondered, if he hadn’t succeeded after all this time, just how long was he supposed to fail and still keep trying? Every time he tried to play against Kazumi again, with every loss, the memories weighed even heavier.

And finally... he just couldn’t. He looked at the cards between him and his brother, and he smiled and said, “Thank you, but... I’m done.” He waited for Kazumi to say something. When he didn’t get any response, he admitted, “I’ll never be able to win against you.”

Still, the only answer he received was silence, and Kazumi staring at him blankly. But then... Father never said anything when he was disappointed either. With each passing second Kazuma felt his smile fade and tears starting to well up. He scooped his cards up quickly. He didn’t... he didn’t want to cry in front of his big brother. He was pathetic enough already. He had to leave. He had- he had to...

The cards spilled out of his shaking hands. He couldn’t even manage to _leave_ right. One last humiliation. The tears started spilling out too, and before Kazuma could stop himself he was doubled-over wracked with sobs as he felt everything, every ounce of effort he put out, every hope he’d held onto, crumble into nothing. It was pointless, everything had been pointless, right from the start, because he was the problem. Not the deck, not Chrono. Just _him_.

It was only after, when he managed to pull himself together enough to finish picking up his cards, that he realized. Kazumi was gone. He'd left without saying anything to him at all.


	3. Prologue: Part 3

Kazumi sat out on the veranda, looking at the garden. He’d been avoiding coming here for a few days, but... there wasn’t any more point in that now. Kazuma was gone after all. He sat straight, hands on his knees, and tried to tell himself to be happy. Even though no one told him that they were planning to send Kazuma away. No one... even told him when he and his mother were leaving. Kazumi had only found out when it was too late, and with his own parents already there watching the two go, he didn’t dare try to go after them and say good-bye.

But even that part was probably a good thing. What could he say to Kazuma now, really? Apologizing while he was being thrown out... was there any way that wouldn’t sound insincere or condescending? It’d just be another reminder of everything his existence prevented Kazuma from having. Kazumi had hurt him enough already.

Right... it was for the best that Kazuma was gone. His little brother would definitely be happier far, far away from this place. Away from everyone here.

Kazumi leaned against the doorframe. He felt tired. With Kazuma gone, it was so much quieter out here. That was something he used to like. Getting away from all the adults’ voices. But now...

He felt his throat tighten, and made himself stand up. He didn’t want to cry over this. That would mean he was upset, and he didn’t want to be upset over something that would make Kazuma happy. Even if nobody knew, he would, and he’d just hate himself more for it. To distract himself, he stepped off the porch into the yard, to take a walk. He did still like the garden a lot. He could see some of it from his room, but only through the windows. It didn’t have the same effect there. But Kazuma might still have gone out to the veranda to meet Chrono, and Kazumi had no intention of ruining that for him too.

Maybe thinking of Chrono directed him without realizing, because after a few minutes of what he’d considered aimless wandering, Kazumi found himself at the broken part of the fence. He paused, surprised by himself. But looking at it now, he couldn’t help thinking that... if Chrono could come in through it, he could go out too. Kazumi could just pull the cheap boards out and climb through, and... and he didn’t know what then. He didn’t even know where Kazuma was right now. And even if he found out, he’d just hurt his brother if he tried to talk to him again.

But... but he was worried. He hands shook a little bit as he stared at the fence and tried to imagine just- just going to see if Kazuma was okay. He wouldn’t talk to him, or bother him, or anything. Just see where he was, if he was happy yet. That might be-

“Kazumi-sama? What are you doing out here?”

Kazumi flinched at the voice, but there was only confusion in it, nothing accusatory. Turning to look at the gardener who approached him, he smiled and said, “Oh, nothing, really. I was just wondering how long this had been this way.”

The gardener nodded, and let out a frustrated sigh. “Yes, this fence has been a problem for a while. But Onimaru-sama finally agreed to pay for the repairs.” He laughed a little. “Guess he finally started worrying about trespassers.”

For a moment, Kazumi felt his heart stop, panicking at the thought of his father finding out about Chrono without his knowing. But, no, if that really was the case, this definitely wouldn’t be the first he’d heard about it. His father never held back an opportunity to let him know he’d done something wrong or improper, and playing with a stranger behind his back would definitely qualify. It seemed much more likely that the potential ‘trespassers’ they suddenly wanted to keep out were Kazuma and his mother.

“Well, thank you for taking care of it,” Kazumi said, still smiling evenly, “I’m sure everyone will feel much safer now.”

The gardener chuckled, and made a quip about it not being fixed just yet. Kazumi laughed a bit too, and quietly buried the whole idea of going out on his own. He was doing it again. Convincing himself he wanted to do something for Kazuma that was really just selfish. What would he even do if Kazuma  _ was _ still unhappy, after all? Kazumi was the whole reason for that in the first place, so there was no way he could fix it.

He knew that. He knew it, and he still was only thinking about how to make himself feel better. He felt disgusted with himself. As he waved to the gardener and headed back to the house, he promised himself he’d never think like that again. The only thing he really could do was stay right here, out of Kazuma’s life, and work hard as the Onimaru heir. At least then no one would ever have a reason to call Kazuma back here. It was something, at least.

With all that in his head, it took a while for him to realize that if the fence was getting fixed, Chrono couldn’t come visit anymore either. Despite everything, Kazumi ached at the thought. Chrono wouldn’t even know what happened to Kazuma like this. It didn’t feel fair. But... what could he do? Kazumi did have an idea where Chrono lived - there was really only one orphanage in walking distance- but visiting out of the blue would just be strange, and make people suspicious. He didn’t want to get Chrono in trouble.

Reaching the veranda again, he remembered his deck. He’d left it sitting out there on its own, and felt a sting of guilt. Sitting down next to it, he picked up the cards and thumbed through them until he found Shiranui.

“Hey,” he said, softly, to the confident dragon looking back at him, “What would you do?”

The card didn’t answer, of course. But Kazumi could imagine. Shiranui wouldn’t let anything stop him. He’d do whatever it took to protect the people he cared about. He’d defeat all their enemies, no matter what. Even smash this whole house to pieces if he had to.

Of course, Kazumi couldn’t imitate that. He hadn’t even managed to change one person’s mind about how to treat Kazuma, for all his supposed importance. But he smiled a little at his avatar in his hands. It was still nice to imagine.

 

* * *

 

Despite not having anyone with him anymore, Kazumi still spent as much time as possible at that veranda. The silence and empty places besides him made it painful, but that was no different from anywhere else in this house. And no one talked about Kazuma or his mother anymore, not even rumors. His room had been cleared out, everything either sent with them or thrown away. It was like he’d never existed.

At least here, there was some comfort in the memories they’d made. The strength, the clarity of them. No matter what anyone else might do, Kazumi would make sure he didn’t forget anything about Kazuma. It was all too important to let any of it slip away.

He was so focused on that, he almost mistook the calling of his name for something he was remembering. But when he saw the bright red hair and green eyes coming into his line of vision, his heart skipped and he blurted out, “Chrono?”

“Hi,” Chrono said, smiling sheepishly. He was covered in leaves and a few twigs again, just like the first time. Kazumi suppressed an urge to brush them off him. “Um, sorry. I couldn’t come through the usual place, there were a bunch of people working there.”

“That’s- that’s fine,” Kazumi said, still feeling like someone had hid him over the head, “I thought... you wouldn’t be able to come back again.”

Chrono rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I didn’t know if you two knew they were fixing the fence already. And I didn’t want you to think I just, y’know, stopped coming for no reason. So I climbed a tree again and, um, here I am.”

Kazumi blinked, and to his surprise felt a smile pulling at him, and a small laugh bubbling out. He just couldn’t help it. “You really are amazing, Kuro-kun.”

There was a small blush on Chrono’s face when he shrugged, and said, “It’s not that big a deal. Climbing’s easy when you know how.”

“No, really, it is,” Kazumi insisted as he shook his head, “I would have never even thought of that.” His chest felt warm, looking at the boy in front of him. Chrono was always surprising him. Amazing him, really. He had right from the start.

Chrono shuffled his feet, looking embarrassed, and changed the subject, “So... should I just do that from now on? Or, well, I guess getting out would still be kind of hard.” He tilted his head. “Kazuma knew about the fence, maybe he’d have an idea?”

Immediately, reality crashed right back to the front of Kazumi’s thoughts. He kept the smile up, steady and calm, and said as gently as he could manage, “I’m sorry, Kuro-kun. I’m afraid Kazuma’s not living here anymore.”

He stopped fidgeting. Stopped moving entirely. And then looked up at Kazumi, eyes wide. “...Huh?”

“He’s going to be living with his mother from now on. He won’t be coming back.”

Chrono stared for a few long seconds, and Kazumi expected a lot of questions about why, but finally the younger boy only said, “...Oh.” He looked down, hands at his sides and bunched in his shirt hem. After a few seconds, he started to ask, “Then, um... when you see him, could you tell him-”

“I won’t be able to,” Kazumi said, and even though he knew how important it was to keep his voice calm right now, he felt it on the verge of wavering and had to take a moment to swallow, “And I shouldn’t, anyway.”

When Chrono spoke again, Kazumi was a little surprised. He expected Chrono to be upset and worried, but he didn’t expect the small trace of anger in his voice. “...Then, you’re gonna let him go away somewhere all by himself? Just like that?”

“He’s not by himself. He’ll be with his mother. And this...” Kazumi paused. He didn’t want to talk about Kazuma’s problems behind his back, but... it was important for Chrono to understand this. It’d help him not worry as much. “This house... wasn’t a good place for him. I think maybe you noticed, a little.” And sure enough, when he said that, recognition came into Chrono’s eyes. Kazumi relaxed a little, finished with, “So he’s much happier being away from here.”

A part of Kazumi expected Chrono would try to argue with him over it anyway. He might be younger, but he didn’t mince words when he thought something was wrong. So when all Chrono said was, “You’re really sure?”, it was a relief.

“I am.”

Finally, Chrono sighed and dropped his gaze. “I guess you’d know best.” Kazumi felt a sharp pang in his chest at that. He didn’t know how to admit that he hadn’t understood at all how Kazuma was feeling. Not really. Not until it was too late.

There was something more pressing to talk about anyway. Trying to choose his words carefully, Kazumi said, “...Kuro-kun, I’m really happy you came today, but this... should probably be the last time.”

Chrono’s eyes shot back up, wide and baffled, “Huh? Why? I’m- It’s fine, I don’t mind finding another way to get in. I’m good at climbing trees. And I’ll be really careful, no one’s noticed at all yet.”

“No, not yet, but... they are talking about watching more closely for trespassers. And... besides, you’d have to keep falling into the yard if you kept climbing over, wouldn’t you?” Kazumi smiled a little. “Even if you’re careful, everyone makes mistakes. I don’t want you getting hurt for my sake.”

Chrono stared at him for a long few seconds, like he was trying to weed out some kind of opening in Kazumi’s argument. But Kazumi didn’t offer one. Just thinking about Chrono getting caught by his father or injuring himself was enough to make him sick. If Kazuma was still here, that would be one thing, but... just on his own, Kazumi wasn’t anywhere close to worth that risk. So he just looked back patiently and waited for Chrono to understand.

Until finally, in a quiet voice, Chrono asked, “You really don’t think I should come anymore?”

“No. It’s just not safe.” Besides, it... wouldn’t be fair. For him to keep playing with Chrono like nothing had happened. To keep him all for himself, until finally Chrono got hurt too and it ended like that. It’d be go beyond selfish. It’d be monstrous, if he let all that happen over again.

It was simple, really. This place - this house - wasn’t good. It hurt people. Suffocated them. Chrono just hadn’t spent enough time here to realize how bad it could get, but that wouldn’t last forever. And if Kazumi could prevent that, he had to.

Forcing a quick laugh, Kazumi said, “I’m sorry, I’d like to have one more fight with you, but I don’t have a spare deck.”

His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat, but Chrono seemed to take pity on him and offered a small smile back. “It’s okay.” And that was all. The argument, it was clear, had found its conclusion.

Kazumi pushed himself up, and stepped down into the yard. “Alright, let’s find a safe way out for you.”

Without another word, Chrono nodded, and followed him into the garden. A part of Kazumi wanted to drag it out, despite the silence hanging awkwardly between them, with the rest hating himself for even the thought. Most of the trees in the yard had the lower branches pared away, so even if Chrono somehow managed to climb up to one of the branches, the drop would be too high for him to jump down safely. Maybe the stone wall... it was in a more visible area, but it wasn’t as high, and the top was pretty wide. It’d probably be safer to climb down that.

With that decided, Kazumi led Chrono towards a segment of wall that seemed at least somewhat hidden by the foliage. Even then, even taking care to avoid the people walking around, it felt like they found an opening all too quickly. Not sure how long they’d have before someone else came along, Kazumi turned to Chrono and asked quickly, “If I helped you climb up, do you think you could get down from there alright?”  

Chrono glanced at it quickly and nodded, still not saying anything. Kazumi really didn’t like seeing him like this, but... what else could he do? Letting out a slow breath, he faced Chrono fully and did his best to smile again, “Okay, then I’ll give you a boost up.”

Again, Chrono’s response was short and stiff. “Okay.” He wasn’t even really looking at him now. It... it felt a lot like the way Kazuma looked, that last time before he started crying. Kazumi froze up, even knowing how important it was to make sure Chrono left soon. He didn’t want either of them hurt. But he didn’t know how not to hurt them either. Wasn’t... wasn’t there something he could do, to help them?

...So, quietly, almost without realizing, he said, “Chrono... could I ask you just one thing?” Chrono paused, but looked up at him, in a direct way that felt like a ‘yes’. Kazumi looked down for a moment, and then asked, “If you do ever see Kazuma again... would you still be his friend?”

Something in Chrono’s demeanor shifted. Not quite softened, but... became more open, maybe. “Of course,” Chrono said, almost sounding surprised, “Why wouldn’t I?”

The laughter came before he knew it, and Kazumi nodded. “I’m glad. Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Maybe Kazumi couldn’t do anything for them, but if they were together, looking out for each other... then there was no way the two of them would be lonely or sad. Even if they didn’t see each other for a while, eventually everything would be okay.

He was so relieved, Kazumi didn’t notice Chrono’s eyes focusing on him, or the steps closer he took, not until Chrono asked, “Kazumi, are you really okay?”

Startled, both by how closer Chrono was as well as the question, Kazumi blinked. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The younger boy hesitated, looked down for a second, before fixing his bright green eyes on Kazumi’s own. “I mean... aren’t you gonna be lonely, stuck here on your own?”

Fondness, warm and painful, swelled in Kazumi’s chest. All at once, he wanted- he wanted to tell Chrono how wonderful he thought he was. How much he admired him. The way he thought of others so easily, how much responsibility he felt, his bravery and tenacity and... so many other things.

What he said instead was, “Don’t worry about that. There’s so many people here, how could I be lonely?”

To admit to anything else, to someone like Chrono, a person who wouldn’t even let a stray cat out of his sight until he knew it was okay... he might as well be begging for him to come back.

 

* * *

 

True to his word, Chrono didn’t come back again. And neither did Kazuma, of course. Kazumi’s days quickly fell into routine. Wake up, go to school, and study until he fell asleep. Every now and then taking a break to eat or go out to the porch and work through his deck again. Though he didn’t have much of a chance to play anymore. He came straight home from school until he started high school, and even then, he was ‘encouraged’ to join some proper clubs. Something like a Vanguard club was out of the question.

The only real opportunity he had was to play against the children of his father’s business associates. That much was allowed - encouraged, even. “It’s as good a way as any to build your own relationships,” his father told him once, “As long as you don’t embarrass the family.” Which meant, of course, ‘don’t lose’. Those kinds of fights couldn’t be more different from the ones he had against Kazuma or Chrono... they weren’t fun at all. There was always that pressure at the back of his head, the constant reminder that even this wasn’t really about him, it was about the family. Everything was always about the family.

A few times he did notice a classmate or cousin with their own cards and thought to try asking if they wanted to play. But those impulses were quickly smothered by the memory of Kazuma crying.

Despite growing distant from the game, though, he wouldn’t get rid of his deck. None of that was the cards’ fault. And... maybe it was silly, but having them around helped him calm down. When he thought of all the units, far away on another planet, using the strength he gave them to keep fighting... it made him feel  _ useful _ . Especially Shiranui. The brave, noble leader, struggling to prove his own strength and the strength of his followers. Kazumi would have done whatever it took to help  _ him _ .

It was just a mental trick, of course. Something to keep him moving when he started struggling to even wake up or eat. But it worked, so he kept his deck close and didn’t back down when he got one of those few opportunities to play.

Besides, so many of his happiest memories were tied to them. How could he ever let them go?

It was this combination of duty and guilt and nostalgia that fueled him, until one day, about six years later, when he stumbled across a magazine with Chrono’s face on it. Him and two other people, looking about his age, declaring them the winners of some recent Vanguard tournament.

Kazumi couldn’t quite bring himself to buy a copy, but when he got home, he started looking them up on his laptop. The team was called ‘Try3’, if he remembered right. What he found floored him - articles, fansites talking about them, even videos of their matches. One of the members was actually the heir to the Kiba Corporation. The Onimaru family had distanced themselves from the Kibas a long time ago, but he remembered meeting the boy as a child once or twice. He didn’t recognize the girl, Tokoha Anjou, at all, but even one fight made it clear she was just as strong and dazzling as her teammates.

As he kept reading and watching more about them, he started to feel relieved. Chrono was still playing Vanguard, and doing amazingly. Kazumi had never even heard of the Gear Chronicle clan, but the more he watched the more it seemed like a perfect fit. And Chrono had very good new friends, who both seemed like wonderful people. They were aiming for the title of Generation Masters, and Kazumi felt sure it was only a matter of time until they achieved it.

But then, he wondered, why Kazuma wasn’t one of his teammates.

Kazumi kept clicking through links, and watching more videos, but Kazuma’s name never came up at all. Maybe... maybe Chrono never ran into Kazuma again after that. Or maybe he had, but Kazuma had still never started playing Vanguard again. Maybe Kazumi ruined that for him completely.

Kazumi tried not to think about which it might be. It wasn’t actually any of his business. He gave up any right to know anything about Kazuma’s life years ago.

Besides, even if Kazuma had given up Vanguard, he might be happier that way. In fact, the more Kazumi thought about this, the more plausible it felt. After all, even if he’d had fun with it for a while, it had been Kazumi’s idea for him to start playing Vanguard in the first place. He’d forced it on his little brother. Now that he was free, Kazuma might have thrown away his deck and all the terrible memories along with it. Just because he wasn’t at these tournaments didn’t mean he was unhappy.

Briefly, the idea that he could try reaching out to Chrono crossed his mind. But that idea was quickly thrown out as ridiculous. It had been so long since they’d last seen each other. It would be strange for him to just show up out of nowhere, all because of a magazine he happened to spot. Chrono might not even remember him that well by now. He had been pretty young back then. And if he  _ was _ still in touch with Kazuma... Kazumi didn’t want to put him in an awkward position.

No, it was best for him to stay away. Chrono was clearly doing well now. He wouldn’t do anything to ruin that.

He told himself that, but... he couldn’t stop watching his fights, as the days and weeks passed and the G Quest got more and more intense. All of Try3’s fights, really. Shion Kiba, fighting despite the deterioration of his family’s business, to earn something that was entirely his own. Tokoha Anjou, proud and aggressive, seeking out a path for herself without a trace of doubt.

Chrono Shindou. All the strength and confidence that Kazumi had seen budding when they’d played as children... but so, so much more vibrant now that his passion was truly able to flourish.

Watching them, he started to remember. The things he loved about playing Vanguard. The way it made him feel. It was exciting and fun and made him feel like he could- like he could be better than he really was. That he could change into someone better.

And the more he watched, the more he started to wonder. If he had a team - someone to fight alongside, not just someone to fight against - maybe he could recapture those feelings.

When he started really looking into it, though, he realized his goal was much more difficult than he’d anticipated. After all, he’d never even registered with the Vanguard Association. He didn’t have a FICA, and his days were so strictly scheduled, he had no idea when he’d find time to do quests and increase his grade enough to enter tournaments. Despite his renewed determination, it felt like he was starting too late.

But then, months after G Quest ended, a new tournament called the U20 was announced. No grades or previous experience needed - this tournament would be entirely independent of the Vangaurd Association’s previous restrictions. All you needed to do was have a three person team of members under the age of twenty, and win at one of the recognized regional tournaments. It was  _ perfect _ .

There was the possibility, he supposed, that Try3 might join it too. That Chrono would be there. But... but if that happened, then it could be Chrono’s choice whether or not to speak to him. He’d have some warning, he could ask Kazuma first if they were in contact. Kazumi wouldn’t be forcing himself into either of their lives.

Though he couldn’t imagine Kazuma wanting anything to do with him, and he didn’t really think Chrono would remember him enough to reach out. At the end of the day, this decision was for himself. About changing himself, trying to be happy, whether either of them were in his life or not.

That’s what he told himself, anyway, as he posted a request online for team members.


	4. Preparation: Chapter 1

Chrono twined some of his hair around a finger, idly wondering if he was overdue for a hair cut, before letting out a sigh and slumping against the counter. Card Capital 2 usually slowed down this time of night, but today was worse than usual. Only two people had been in at all the last hour, and there was still another thirty minutes to go. Even Shin wasn’t around, having run over to the main store in order to pick up some advertisements for upcoming Vanguard events. He sighed, and went to grab a broom from the back. At least sweeping would give him something to do. It was times like these he kind of understood why Kamui could get so restless and want to get out of the shop for a little while... not that he was about to imitate that.

Looking at the store now, empty but still brightly lit, he caught himself reminded of all the parties they’d thrown after hours here. His lips tugged up into a smile. The last one had been Tokoha’s going-away party, before she left for Paris. Since then, there just hadn’t been much of an excuse. Though they’d talked about it once or twice, neither he or Shion had felt like participating in any tournaments without her. Kumi had been doing some small solo tournaments, but whenever she won, she mostly just wanted croquette buns as her reward. And the next chance to take the Clan Leader exam wouldn’t be for a few months, so there was nothing to celebrate on that front yet either.

Despite remembering his failure, Chrono hummed a little. Looking back on it, he had probably been a little hasty, trying to take the exam right on the heels of Stride Gate. He’d just been so excited, now that he actually knew what he wanted to do. All he could think about was rushing right into it. But next time, he’d be prepared. Shin and Kamui had been helping him study, and working at the card shop was helping him remember the various quirks and intricacies of the other clans. His grip on the broom tightened and each sweep picked up in speed as he felt himself getting all excited again anyway, picturing himself spreading how great Gear Chronicle was to a whole new generation of Vanguard players. Mamoru was already letting him help out at events, and soon he’d be able to run and plan them, and spend more time at Dragon Empire looking after Ryuzu, and...

He was so lost in the image, he didn’t hear the door open right away. When the footsteps were right behind him, that noise managed to jolt him out of it, just in time to catch the newcomer saying, “Good evening. It’s been quite a while, hasn’t it?”

Chrono turned, an apology for spacing out already halfway out his mouth, when he actually got a look at who had come in. An older boy, in black and red, with long near-white hair and gold eyes. The rest of the greeting he’d prepared for customers trailed off, silenced by stark disbelief. A name hovered unspoken in his mouth, as his memories tried to keep up with what was in front of him.

The boy smiled, tilting his head. “Don’t tell me you forgot about me after all, Kuro-kun.”

Yeah, that settled it. No one else had _ever_ used that nickname for him. “I- no, I remember,” he said, before giving his head a few shakes and smiling, walking over to his old friend, “It’s just been ages! I almost didn’t recognize you... I’d never have expected to see you like this, Kazumi.” Or at all, really, he thought with a small twinge. Kazumi had been nice about it, sure, but that last good-bye had felt pretty damn final. And there was no way _anyone_ could have been nice enough that saying ‘I don’t want you to come back’ wouldn’t hurt to hear. Especially back then.

Still, Chrono offered him a hand. That was all a long time ago, and Kazumi had just been a kid too. If he was looking to mend bridges, Chrono wasn’t going to turn him away.

“My apologies. I’m sure it must be a surprise, especially while you’re in the middle of work,” Kazumi said, as he took Chrono’s hand into his own. It was oddly slow, the way his fingers curled around Chrono’s hand before he really gripped it. Was he nervous or something? “But I didn’t want to wait another moment to see you.”

Chrono blinked. “What do you mean? Did something happen?”

He laughed. “You could say that.” He leaned in closer, almost eclipsing the rest of Chrono’s field of vision. Chrono resisted an urge to lean back, feeling kind of uncomfortable at the intensity of Kazumi’s gaze. “I read about your victory at G Quest. It was so exciting to hear you were still playing Vanguard.”

“Ah, thanks.” Chrono smiled, but the discomfort stayed. That had all been months ago. “Did you just find out?”

Kazumi finally straightened back up, sighing. “I’d like to say yes. But it took some time to get over my cowardice.” He wrapped his other hand around Chrono’s too, squeezing a little. “Really, I’ve been wanting to see you for a very long time. A bit embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Despite his uneasiness, Chrono couldn’t help feeling fond at the admission. “Not at all,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “To be honest, ever since I first started playing again, I kept thinking stuff like ‘I wish I could show those guys this deck’, or wondering if I’d see either of you at tournaments.” He still remembered how it felt being told that most tournaments required a team of three members. The memory of playing with Kazumi and Kazuma had hit him like a jolt, a burst of frustration and bitterness that it wouldn’t have even been an issue if Kazumi had let him keep visiting. If he’d just managed to find Kazuma.

Now, knowing how things went because of their absence, it was hard to be anywhere near as upset. Never getting close to or fighting alongside Shion and Tokoha was just unthinkable at this point. He couldn’t possibly regret that. And after all... he was the one who’d failed to find Kazuma again. No matter how hard he’d looked when Mikuru finally took him out of the orphanage, there wasn’t a single trace of ‘Kazuma Onimaru’ anywhere.

He pulled his hand out of Kazumi’s hold, about to ask if he’d seen Kazuma at all recently, but before he could open his mouth, the older boy said, “Then perhaps you could show me now. I believe I still owe you a rematch, after all.”

Chrono hesitated, caught between asking or answering, but... he grinned and said, “Sure, you’re on!” He didn’t know how much of a sore spot Kazuma still was, after all. Chrono didn’t want to be insensitive about something that important. There might be a more natural way to bring him up, anyway, if they fought and talked a little more first.

Leading Kazumi over to one of the card tables, he asked, “So how have you been, lately? Is this your last year of high school, or-”

“First year of college,” Kazumi corrected, “But I’m afraid it’s nothing all that interesting.”

Chrono paused, and decided to test the waters with, “And things at home? Still pretty busy, I guess?”

“I suppose. But never mind all that,” he said, smiling again, “I came to spend time with you. Let’s not waste it with dull subjects like that.”

Must still all be pretty difficult for him to talk about, then. Feeling a little relieved he’d decided against bringing Kazuma up just yet, Chrono nodded and smiled. “Alright, you got it.” Holding up a fist, he grinned and asked, “Rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first?”

“Alright.” Kazumi said, though Chrono thought he heard some frustration. And when they threw out their hands, he gave a surprised laugh when he saw his rock and Kazumi’s scissors. Kazumi, though, only frowned and sighed. “I never win at this...”

Chrono kept smiling, but it felt confused even to him. “What are you talking about? This is like, only the third time I ever managed to beat you at this.”

Kazumi didn’t react for a moment, then the smile came back and he simply said, “I suppose you could say my luck’s taken a turn recently.”

On it’s own, it might just be a joke. But that statement, with Kazumi’s sudden appearance and avoidance of talking about himself, was starting to really set off Chrono’s alarms. Leaning in a little towards his old friend, he asked, soft but direct, “Hey, Kazumi... is everything actually okay?”

Kazumi looked at him for a second, then leaned down towards him as well. “Are you worried about me? That’s very sweet of you.” He reached over, squeezing Chrono’s hand. There was something off about that too. Chrono tried to remember if Kazumi had been this touchy back when they were kids. Maybe with Kazuma, but... then Kazumi straightened back up, pulling his hand back to shuffle his deck. “But it’s unnecessary. I’m perfectly fine.”

Chrono tried to decide whether he should push it or not... and settled on ‘not’. This was the first time they’d seen each other in years. Of course some things would be different. And besides... there was no better way to start understanding someone than through a fight. “If you say so,” he said, shuffling his own, “Should we get started, then?”

“Yes, let’s,” Kazumi said, putting his deck down on the slot.

“Stand up, Vanguard!” And despite Kazumi’s odd behavior, despite how sudden and confusing this felt, hearing them call out those words in sync again after all this time brought a small smile to his face.

Still, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give his all to this fight. He placed his first card down, calling out, “I ride Chrono Dran G!”

“Stealth Rogue of the Wintery Wind, Kamojigusa,” Kazumi said, placing down his own in a matter-of-fact kind of way. He eyed Chrono’s from across the table, a mild kind of interest sparking in his eyes. “So this is the Gear Chronicle deck... how did you ever manage to find such a thing?”

Chrono laughed a little. “I guess you could say it found me instead.” That whole story was a lot longer and more complicated than he could fit into one fight. “Looks like you’re still using Nubatama?”

“Of course,” he said, “Or did you think me that unfaithful?”

“Ah, no,” Chrono tried to backpedal, the wording of the question throwing him off, “I just meant, it’s nice. To see some things are still the same.”

“I see...” Kazumi smiled. “Well, I recommend you not get too comfortable. This deck won’t be beaten again so easily.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Chrono grinned, “I ride Chronoethos Jackal!”

As the battle started to take off properly, Chrono felt some relief, seeing more familiar cards with each play. And Kazumi’s strategy was familiar too, with the quick attacks, the stealthy retreats, and the limiting of his opponent’s movements. But... he found himself frowning, peering up at Kazumi through his bangs. There really was something off about how he was acting. When they were kids, Kazumi was always calm and in control of himself... but when they fought, you could still tell how eager he was. His eyes would light up, he’d smile and laugh, and focus on every move, like he didn’t want to miss a single thing. Chrono remembered all that well enough. After all, it was how Vanguard had made him feel too - how it still made him feel.

Now... Kazumi was still calm. His voice was even, his posture straight, no sign of tension in his expression or how he held himself. But more than that, there was a kind of assurance in his voice, each time he declared his next move or illustrated his units movements. It felt like he already knew exactly how each turn would play out.

And whether it was despite that confidence or because of it... Kazumi didn’t seem excited by the fight at all. Chrono’s frown deepened. For all Kazumi’s talk about wanting to see him again, he didn’t look like he was actually enjoying this at all. Amused by it, maybe, but that was about the extent of it. It itched at him. Was he disappointing Kazumi somehow, or was it something else?

Even when calling his long-established favorite, there wasn’t a single change in Kazumi’s demeanor. “May those evil eyes foresee all consequences,” he said, voice cool and even, “Ride, Stealth Dragon, Shiranui.”

Chrono tried smiling again, and asked, “Same avatar too, huh?” Honestly, looking at Kazumi’s cards, it only made how he was acting stand out as strange even more. There were so many units he recognized from when they were kids, and they were all still in good condition from what he could tell. He’d obviously treated them with a lot of care, for years. If he didn’t care about the game anymore, would he really have bothered? “Guess I’m not surprised, you were almost unstoppable together as kids.”

“Naturally,” Kazumi said, smile stretched further, “I would never have been able to do anything without him.” Chrono blinked, one more statement striking a discordant note. And he said it so serenely, it almost sounded mocking. But Kazumi didn’t wait for him to ask what he meant. “Release the Generation Zone. Rikudo Stealth Dragon, Zaramerakan.”

From there, the attacks and skills came in waves, Shiranui’s appearance unleashing the tide. Binding, retreating, summoning, leaving Chrono more and more cornered as Kazumi piled damage onto him, outmaneuvering every attempt at holding him back.

Chrono winced, the impact of the attacks leaving him short of breath, and eyed the three damage he’d accrued by the end of his turn. It shouldn’t be a problem. He’d come back from worse before. But Kazumi just kept watching him, his amused little smile not dropping for even a moment.

Gritting his teeth, he tightened his hold on his cards. There would be plenty of time to ask Kazumi about what was going on after. Right now, he needed to focus on the actual fight. He called out, “Stride Generation!”, summoning Metapulsar, Split Pegasus. Right now he had to build his field, prepare his attacks... and yet no matter what he did, Kazumi’s expression remained unchanged. No excitement, and really, not much actual interest either. Chrono didn’t get _why_. He said he’d come here because he wanted to see Chrono again, because he’d wanted to for a long time. So why was he acting like this? Was he just uncomfortable with the reunion after all this time...? But there wasn’t a trace of that, not that Chrono could see. Just a steady, detached gaze.

“Metapulsar, Split Pegasus,” he called, wanting to get some kind - any kind - of reaction out of Kazumi, “Attack the Vanguard!” He looked Kazumi right in the eye, visualizing the attack, the light building up in the canons, the heat and force of them bursting out into vicious beams.

“No guard,” Kazumi said, perpetually impassive. Chrono grit his teeth into a near-snarl, picturing Shiranui standing before him, taking the blast head on without a trace of fear or doubt.

And then he blinked, and found himself lost.

There was no shop. No sign of anyone. Just black all around, and a sensation of floating. Turning, trying to get a hold of what happened and where he was, he saw a planet behind him. Earth?

From behind, where there’d only just been nothingness, he heard, “Chrono Shindou.” And looking back, he saw Kazumi again, standing in front of stars and another unfamiliar planet. He was still smiling, expression perfectly unchanged. “Impressive... you can see it too, then?”

And just like that, it vanished. He opened his eyes to the shop, cards in his hands, and Kazumi still standing across from him.

“What-” he made himself ask, even though his voice shook, “What the hell was _that_?”

Kazumi only stared at him for a moment, and then asked, “Whatever are you talking about?”

“That- didn’t you see-”

“Are you finished with your turn already?”

One look at Kazumi’s expression, Chrono understood. He was just going to avoid this like he had every other question. “...Not yet,” he said, turning another card, “Chronoethos, attack!”

“No guard,” Kazumi said again, “Damage check... no trigger.” And he placed his own fourth damage down on the table.

He’d managed to pull ahead, but Chrono couldn’t feel secure about that at all. Kazumi still looked like he expected everything as it had happened. There wasn’t even a notch of difference in his smile. He had something else up his sleeve, Chrono was sure of that.

And then he drew a card, and Kazumi did change then. His eyes flattened, smile stretching to show teeth as he asked, “Why don’t I show you, now, just what I’ve learned over the years?” Chrono stiffened, trying to brace himself. “Stride generation. Rikudo Stealth Dragon, Atagolord.”

His eyes widened. He didn’t recognize that card at all - not just from playing against Kazumi, but anyone. Was it new?

Kazumi continued, without paying Chrono’s reaction the slightest bit of attention. He bound Lugal-Ure first, and then bound one card after another still in Chrono’s hand. Bit by bit, his options were whittled down. When Kazumi called out an attack on his Vanguard, Chrono had to guard, just to do something. To show he wouldn’t just stand and take each blow.

“Attack with Atagolord,” Kazumi said, unperturbed, “Activate skill. Bind of my opponent’s cards in hand.”

Just like that, the last card in his hand vanished. His Vanguard was totally open.

And still, Kazumi smiled, looking like he was savoring his next words. “You have less than three cards in hand, so I gain one critical.”

Chrono dropped his eyes in spite of himself when he said, “No guard.”

Losing to Kazumi wasn’t new, but he had never really minded as a kid. Of course he wanted to win, but fighting him itself had been fun. He’d been encouraging and supportive every time, and seeing him excited over a good play or his own plans, it all just made him want to try harder next time.

There had been none of that in this fight. Even now, as Kazumi did a triple drive check, each movement felt business-like. Not bored, maybe, but detached. When he pulled the trigger he needed to end the game, there was no real sense of thrill in it. He simply called the attacks, one by one, in a methodical and still vaguely-amused fashion. Each one lingered, and despite himself Chrono felt himself absorbed in the image, of being trapped, waiting for each blow. One strike, then two, then three...

He was gasping and just barely holding himself up against the table by the time Kazumi picked his deck up, simply saying, “That was a good fight. I’m glad to finally have had the opportunity.” Chrono tried to catch his breath, to tell him to stay, to ask him what the hell was going on. But Kazumi simply paused as he passed him, patting him lightly on the shoulder, letting the tips of his fingers brush Chrono’s hair. “I wonder if you’re as tenacious as you were back then,” he said, in a low voice, “If you are, I’m sure you can find me.”

And then he kept walking, even as Chrono tried to call his name again, to grab his wrist and make him wait a minute. But it was no good. He could barely speak. His head was still reeling, and he felt dizzy and exhausted.

He had to give up and collapse on one of the benches. At least he managed to pull himself together some by the time Shin finally got back, carrying a box. “Sorry,” he said, “Misaki needed an extra hand for a bit.”

Chrono managed a smile. “It’s fine. Let’s just get these up.” Shin nodded, opening the box, and handing one of the posters advertising the U20 to him. It was just a sketchy kind of silhouette, so it was hard to really tell, but... as he taped it up to the wall, he got a pretty close look at it. And the closer he looked, the harder it was to ignore the resemblance between one of the figures and the person who’d just been here.

“Hey, Shin,” he asked, over his shoulder, “D’you know who the models for this were?”

Shin looked up from the countertop display he was putting together, rubbing his chin a little. “I think they’re last year’s winners. Team Ogre. You hadn’t heard about them?”

Chrono frowned, feeling kind of ashamed. “No, not at all.”  He hadn’t paid the slightest bit of attention to what was going on in the tournament scene since he stopped participating. And he’d just been so busy, so focused on making sure he was ready for the Clan Leader exam, and looking after Ryuzu when he could...

But the more he looked at the picture, the more sure he felt. That was definitely Kazumi on there. Was he going to participate in the U20 again? ‘I wonder if you’re as tenacious as you were back then’, he’d said... was that a challenge? Was that the actual reason he came tonight? And that vision he saw during the fight, what was-

“Chrono, is something wrong?” Shin asked.

Chrono jumped, waving a hand dismissively. “Ah, yeah, I’m fine, sorry. Just thinking about something.” He took another look at the poster, and then turned back to the box to get another. After work, he decided, he’d do some research about last year’s U20. See if there was anything he could find that might explain why Kazumi had been acting so weird.

It had been years, he knew that. Of course they had both changed, but... this felt like more than just that. Other than the actual cards, there hadn’t been a single thing in that fight that Chrono recognized. And there was that vision during the fight... it wasn’t exactly the same as his and Luna’s power, but it felt too close for comfort. And if there was something that dangerous out there... old friend or not, Chrono had to get to the bottom of it.


	5. Preparation: Chapter 2

_ ‘Hey, call me as soon as you can, ok?’ _ and ‘ _ Would you mind stopping by the office after school today?’  _ Those were the two messages Shion found in his inbox during his lunch break. The first was from Chrono, and seeing it, he had to hold back a frustrated sigh. He really did miss just being able to drop by his classroom during breaks like they could in middle school. Fukuhara was certainly a prestigious school, but it was also exactly what he expected it would be. Many, many students he recognized from family friends, and former family friends.

Even the Vanguard club was roughly what he anticipated. Fukuhara might not be the sole Vanguard powerhouse it once was, but it was still a significant draw and the club remained in good standing. Nevertheless, it was not free of the school’s social politics. Everyone there knew his name. Some were mocking, still thinking he was the fool who lost his family’s company in a card game, making cracks about becoming the new Kiba heir themselves. But at least they were enjoyable to fight. There was little as satisfying as crushing them with an effortless smile. But some of the others...

Shion was, naturally, confident in his abilities and felt sure he could defeat any opponent. But even so, he could tell a few of the members holding back when they fought him. Trying to flatter him by ‘ooh’ing and ‘aah’ing over every move and making a big show out of their loss. To get in good standing with the Kiba heir.

Even just thinking about it, he could feel the onset of a headache. He sighed and reminded himself that no one had forced him to choose a private high school. Despite his family’s precarious reputation and position at the moment, his father and mother both encouraged him to pick somewhere he wanted to go. He was the one who decided to take further responsibility for the way the Kiba Corporation collapsed last year. Show everyone that there was nothing to worry about, that he was taking his position seriously and wouldn’t allow any further disgrace to fall on the Kiba name.

So it was his father’s text he answered first, as he headed down to the cafeteria, sending a short ‘ _ Of course _ ’. Whatever was going on with Chrono, it would have to wait. His family and their business came first.

 

* * *

 

As soon as school ended, Shion headed straight for his father’s office. He did consider calling Chrono on the way, but he didn’t know how long that conversation would take. It seemed important, and if it was, he didn’t want to rush through it on his way to do something else. He smiled at the secretary working the front desk, and greeted his father’s employees as he passed. Everyone responded politely enough, but he thought a few still seemed nervous. Well, he supposed he couldn’t blame them. But it didn’t matter. He  _ would _ prove himself a reliable successor.

The door to his father’s office was already open when he reached it. As soon as he took a step inside, his father looked up from his computer and smiled, gesturing for him to sit down at the chair across from him. “Shion, thank you for coming. I’m sorry to ask so suddenly.”

“You don’t have to apologize, it was no problem.” He sat down as requested, and smiled easily. “What did you need me for?”

“Well, it’s about an offer I received this morning.” His father adjusted his chair slightly, so he was looking directly at him. “You know one of our subsidiaries has been looking to get involved in the entertainment industry, correct?”

“Yes, of course.” Shion had been making sure to track everything that was going on in their corporation. He always had kept an eye on things, but now was the time to buckle down and learn every minutiae.

“Apparently, the agency they’re looking to invest in has plans to promote an upcoming Vanguard tournament. The U20. Several of their idols will be advertising it, but some will also be entering as participants.” He smiled. “It came up in talks that your team won that G Quest tournament last year, and the president was very excited. He proposed a collaboration, with you joining one of their teams.”

Shion’s breath caught, just a bit. “I... would certainly not object. But,” he faltered on his words a little, not wanting to sound like he was whining, “Is that a good idea? I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m simply playing around right now.”

“Don’t worry about that. This would be a job, fostering a new, promising business connection for the Kiba Corporation. If anyone has any complaints about that, I will deal with them.” His father leaned forward a little, expression softening. “I know you’ve been working very hard this last year, Shion. So if there’s a way for you to enjoy some of that work, I hope you’ll take the opportunity.”

The sentiment was touching, but still, Shion didn’t answer right away. The idea of participating in a tournament without Chrono or Tokoha... it felt strange. And agreeing to it without asking them almost felt like going behind their backs. But Tokoha and Chrono had both found their own paths for Vanguard - he didn’t actually think they’d begrudge him following his own. He had decided, after all, that part of his goal was to spread knowledge and interest in Vanguard even further. Working promotions would be part of that.

Finally, he nodded, beaming despite himself, “Alright, I’d be happy to do it. Do you know who I’d be working with yet?”

“Good, I’m glad to hear it,” his father smiled, before turning back to read something off his computer, “Apparently they have a few possibilities they’re considering. But it sounds like Rummy Labyrinth is going to most likely be their choice. Evidently, they’re very popular even as serious players these days.”

Somehow, with what he considered admirable effort, Shion managed to keep a straight face.

And then, still smiling, he said, “That sounds exciting. Please let them know I’d be happy to work with Rummy Labyrinth. We’ve met a few times already at G Quest, actually, so I’m sure we’ll make an excellent team.”

“Oh, really? I’ll make sure to pass that along.”

 

* * *

 

They talked for a little while longer after that - about what the timeline would be like, when he’d meet his team and their manager, when the tournament itself would be happening - and the second Shion left the room he was already trying to call Chrono. Maybe he should’ve called in the car after all. At this point, Chrono was probably going to already be at work, and he was too diligent to chat during work.

But to his surprise, Chrono picked up anyway, sounding almost out of breath when he said, “Hey, took you long enough.”

“Sorry about that, I had a meeting with my father first.” He paused before stepping into the elevator and hitting ‘lobby’, the touches of worry flaring up. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s... I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.” Chrono sighed, but he was calming down the more he talked. “Look, I know I’ve asked before, but... do you really not know anything about the Onimaru family?”

Shion blinked, taking a moment to stare at the phone before putting it back to his ear and answering, “No, I’m afraid not.” The Onimaru family was certainly one of their peers on paper, but interactions between their two families was limited to the occasion party they’d both been invited to. Even then, the patriarch tended to give his father little more than a nod in acknowledgement when they were forced to interact. Shion had asked his father about it, after Chrono’s first inquiry got him curious, but his father had simply said, ‘Our ways of thinking are incompatible’. Shion blew some hair out of his face, adding, “Frankly, if anything, they’re even more likely to avoid us after everything that happened.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense... sorry, I had to at least ask.”

Chrono wasn’t frantic anymore, but he still sounded distracted. This definitely felt like it was going to be something big. The elevator opened with a ‘ding’, and Shion headed for the door, hoping to find someplace more private to talk outside. “Did something happen with them?”

“Kazumi - ah, Kazumi Onimaru - he came to the shop last night. Challenged me to a fight.”

“I see...” Shion had been vaguely aware of who had won the U20 last year, to the extent that he tried to stay current on most topics, but seeing Onimaru’s name listed had inspired little more than a twinge of recognition. The fact that both of his teammates were from overseas had stood out more than anything. “I suppose that’s not such a surprise. You’ve gotten a lot of challengers like that, haven’t you?”

“Like you haven’t.” Chrono snorted, before continuing more seriously, “But it wasn’t just that. There was something really weird about him the whole fight. He wasn’t acting like himself, and there was this weird vision-”

“What do you mean, ‘acting like himself’?”

“...Oh, right.” Chrono cleared his throat, and Shion could practically see him avoiding eye contact. “So, y’know how I said I used to live close by to him? Well, I kinda did more than that.”

“Meaning?”

“I actually used to sneak into his yard and play Vanguard with him when I was a kid.” He coughed. “A lot.”

Shion blinked. Fortunately, he finally found a bench to drop down onto while he absorbed this piece of information. “And you never thought to mention that before?”

“Look, I didn’t mean to hide it or anything, but it was kind of awkward to bring up. It did happen a long time ago and... I kinda thought it wouldn’t matter anymore.” He didn’t sigh, but there was the same kind of wistfulness in his voice. “Anyway, my point is - when I fought him, something happened. I saw Cray.”

Right away, Shion dropped any preoccupation with Chrono’s little secret keeping and focused. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, on one of my turns, I launched an attack and suddenly everything disappeared and I was  _ there _ , seeing the whole planet from space and- it felt real.” Chrono paused, but Shion didn’t need any further explanation to understand the importance of what he was saying.

“Did anything like that ever happen when you played as children?”

“No, never. Fighting him was vivid, sure, but this was a completely different thing.” Chrono sighed. “So... anyway, he’s going to be in the U20 this year, I think. I decided I’m gonna enter it too, to try and figure out what’s going on with him. And it’s a team thing, so, I wanted to ask if you’d join too? I figure we can get Taiyou for our third member, he’s been asking me about-”

Something pricked in Shion’s chest when he had to admit, “Ah, I’m afraid I can’t. I just agreed to join another team already.”

There was a long pause, and then simply, “...Oh.”

“Really, I’m sorry. I did feel like I should ask you guys first, but-”

“No, no, it’s fine! I mean, this did happen really suddenly. I shouldn’t have just assumed you’d be free.” He laughed, just a little too brusque. “And hey, if you’re gonna be there anyway, you can still help keep an eye on him.”

Shion smiled a little. “Of course, you can count on me for that. We’ll get to the bottom of this. But do you have any other potential teammates in mind?”

“Yeah, don’t worry about. I’ll try asking Kumi, and like I said, I’m sure Taiyou will go for it.”

“Alright. Then when you have that settled, we should all meet up and get everyone on the same page beforehand.” Shion paused, then asked, “Speaking of which, have you mentioned any of this to Tokoha yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, don’t wait too long. She’ll get mad if she thinks you’re keeping things from her.”

He snorted. “It’s not my fault there’s, like, half an hour a day we’re both awake and not too busy to talk. But yeah, I won’t. I’ll try to get ahold of her soon.” Then, sounding a little more cheerful, “By the way, who’s on your new team? Anyone I know?”

“Rummy Labyrinth, actually.” Shion let that sink in, feeling Chrono’s confusion in his silence. Just as Chrono started to ask ‘how’, he said, “It’s a collaboration between their company and the Kiba Corporation. We’re hoping to build a strong, lasting relationship between us.”

“...Good luck, then?”

He laughed lightly. “Oh, I won’t need it. I’m sure the three of us will have a  _ very  _ interesting time.”

Shion could hear the grin in Chrono’s voice when he said, “Sounds like I should be telling them good luck instead.”


	6. Preparation: Chapter 3

“Thank you very much for the meal, Jaime,” Miguel said, smiling brightly, “You two really didn’t have to pay for me, though.”

“Think nothing of it, _amigo_ ,” Jaime replied, patting him exuberantly on the shoulder, “After your magnificent show at the tournament today, of course you should get a reward!”

Tokoha rolled her eyes, and wagged a finger at Miguel in mock-seriousness. “Now don’t forget; you still promised to help out at the beginner’s meet tomorrow. This is your last chance to call it off - try it tomorrow, and I’ll drag you there anyway.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” Miguel raised a hand, and turned to leave... before tripping and falling on his face halfway down the block. After the two of them scrambled to help while he laughed off their concerns, Miguel left for his apartment.

Tokoha waited until he was safely out of sight, and then turned to look up at Jaime. “So... what do _you_ think?”

Jaime’s eyes sharpened, still staring off in Miguel’s direction. “Mm, I think you’re right, Tokoha-chan. There’s definitely, _definitely_ something off about him tonight.”

Despite his words confirming her worries, Tokoha had to let out a sigh of relief. She’d only met Miguel a couple of months ago, after all. It was hard to tell if he was really acting out of the ordinary. But Jaime had known him for much longer, and even _he_ thought something was up. “Right? And it hasn’t just been today, it’s been since about the start of the week.”

She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against herself and tried to think. Miguel had acted as her mentor when she first arrived in Paris. Akane was there, of course, but she was working full time with the Association. While Tokoha had every intention of helping out now and then, she also also didn’t want to make the Association her life. She had wanted to start fresh now that she was here - so, when she told Jaime, he offered to introduce her to someone new, who could help her adjust to the city.

And Miguel had gone above and beyond in that regard, texting and video chatting her even in the weeks leading up to the move, to help her practice the language and give tips on what to do when she first arrived. When she had finally made it to Paris, he hadn’t wasted any time visiting, or giving her tours of the local Vanguard scene. It had been reassuring, knowing someone close to her own age here, and even though she’d since made more friends among her classmates, none of them were Vanguard players. Miguel being another NeoNectar player, too, made it easy to talk about the game, to share strategies and old fights.

So if something was bothering him, then Tokoha absolutely wanted to help him with it. It was the least she could do, after how much he’d done for her.

Jaime mimicked her pose, humming in a light way that belied the focus in his eyes. “I guess he didn’t say if something happened recently?”

“No...” She dropped her eyes, brow furrowed. “He mentioned he was going to fight in the U20 coming up, though. Maybe he’s just nervous?”

“I don’t think so,” Jaime said, shaking his head, “A tournament like this would make Miguel super-duper excited, not nervous. And not so...” He glanced down the street again, tilting his head as he looked for the right word, “Not so reserved, I think.”

Yeah, Tokoha thought with a nod, that sounded more like it. Miguel was nice and friendly, there was no question about that. But when it came to Vanguard, he took himself very seriously, which she guessed he’d earned. He’d travelled all over the world already, after all, even though he wasn’t much older than her. And then tonight, he hadn’t even wanted to correct the waiter when he’d been given the wrong order, she had to do it for him! And he was making so many little mistakes and apologizing a lot. It seemed obvious something was going on to distract him, but she didn’t know what.

“Oh! This was weird, too,” she said, turning to face Jaime, “Just the other day, he told me he’d be busy and couldn’t hang out, and then only just mentioned today he’d met with one of his teammates! _The_ teammate, even!”

Jaime’s eyebrows shot up, and he let out a whistle. “And he really didn’t say _anything_?”

“No! No frustrated texts, no excited calls, nothing!” She started tapping her foot, starting to feel anxious. Miguel _loved_ talking about the people he met in his travels, and his team from the U20 was an especially popular topic. He texted Verno Fahrenheart all the time, and whenever he got a message from Kazumi, he couldn’t help fussing over it. Even after just a couple of months, there was no escaping the way Miguel pined over the boy.

“He _always_ acts so aloof,” Miguel said the first time she’d been there in person when he got a message from him, pouting and showing her his phone screen, “Look, I pour my heart out to him, and all I get in return is, ‘Yes, it would be nice to see you too’?”

“That’s what you get for being so subtle,” Tokoha teased. And even though he was complaining, there was still a slight blush on his face and his eyes were sparkling. Honestly, she thought it was cute how earnest he was about his crush.

Miguel laughed a little, and turned back to his phone with a smile. “Then I’ll just have to be even more obvious when I see him in person, won’t I?”

And then he wouldn't even tell her when they _did_ get to meet in person? It was weird. She looked up at Jaime, and asked, “Do you think Kazumi said something to him? Maybe he hurt his feelings...”

“That could be it...” Jaime frowned, rubbing his chin for a few moments. Then he brightened. “Okay, you’ll be with him all day tomorrow, right? See if you can get anything out of him, and then I’ll swoop in at night and pry the rest out of him.” He flashed a peace sign and grinned. “A two-frond attack!”

“Two-pronged attack,” Tokoha corrected, but smiled. “Okay, you got it. Between the two of us, we can get the truth out of him!”

 

* * *

 

After seeing Miguel at the beginner’s meet, Tokoha did start to feel a little more at ease. He was getting along with the kids as well as always. Maybe even better. Whatever problem was bothering him, it wasn’t stopping him from having fun, or helping the new players learn. The demonstration fight the two of them had to close out the event had been a good one too, though there were some strange things. Tokoha tried to just chalk those up to where they’d been; Miguel refusing to look at or redraw his first hand before the fight started could just be showing off for the kids, and the way he complemented and pointed out good moves she’d made in fights against him before might have just been a way to help them follow the fight more easily. It almost made sense.

He did seem to be in a  much better mood afterwards, too, beaming and practically skipping down the street as they headed to a cafe for lunch. She couldn’t figure out how to fit all the weird behavior together.

“Ahh, it was wonderful, seeing all those children learning for the first time!” He stretched his arms back, like he was trying to soak in the sun as much as possible. “I was able to learn another new thing about Vanguard.”

“‘New’? C’mon, you’ve been playing for ages. This couldn’t be the first time you taught anyone.”

Miguel paused, then beamed. “But this was different from just supervising or giving tips, though! Some of those kids had never even played once before. Seeing how they learn about their own decks, developing that bond... it’s really wonderful to witness.”

It nearly sounded like something he’d say. Tokoha said, “Well, then I guess I’ll have to volunteer you for some more events then.”

Somehow, his smile managed to get even brighter. “Please do!” He looked at her, eyes sparkling. “And you were magnificent in the fight, today!”

She snorted. “Big words coming from the guy who won.”

He laughed a little awkwardly, then said, “I really do mean it, though. The two of you have so much potential together... I’m certain now, that Ahsha is in good hands with you.”

“Well, thanks.” Seeing him like this - earnest and open, like usual - she let out a mental sigh of relief. Things still felt a little off, but at least whatever was weighing on him earlier didn’t seem to be bothering him quite so badly right now. Not that she still didn’t plan to find out what exactly it was. “So,” she said, “When are you leaving for Japan, exactly?”

“The U20 will start next month, so I’ll leave for the qualifiers about two weeks. Kazumi thinks we should have some time to get settled at his house and plan before the tournament.”

“You're actually staying with Kazumi, then?” She managed to keep her tone light, “You must be excited.”

“Of course! This tournament will be a true testament to my resolve-”

She felt her smile twitch despite herself. “I didn’t mean only the tournament, though.”

“Oh... oh! Of course, yes.” He laughed, “Naturally I can’t wait to see my teammates again. It’s been so long since we spent real time together, we’re definitely overdue.”

Tokoha narrowed her eyes at him. Then she stepped in front of him, to make him stop walking and look at her. “Hey, Miguel... did Kazumi say something to you when he stopped by?”

Miguel froze up, almost flinching. Then he laughed again. “No, no, of course not. It was just still undecided whether we’d participate again this year, so he wanted to make sure we were on the same page-”

“By coming all the way here? That’s a lot of travelling just to say he wanted to join a tournament with you. He could’ve just messaged you. And why would he wait so long to say yes, anyway?” She narrowed her eyes, getting her face up close to his. “Miguel, you’ve been acting weird for days, can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”

He tried to answer her questions, getting increasingly flustered when his stammering was cut off by the next one. But once she reached the end, he seemed to get a grip on himself, and took a step back, smiling again. “Tokoha, I’m very touched that you’re so worried. But everything’s fine, honestly. There’s just a lot to do to get ready, so I’ve been a little distracted.”

He said it so calmly, without a trace of hesitation, and still Tokoha couldn’t believe it at all. She wanted to shake him, make him admit something was going on and accept her help. A couple of years ago, she probably would have. But... she let out a sigh. “If you’re sure.”

You can’t make people open up to you, and you can’t force them to talk. She’d just have to try and be patient, and hope that maybe he’d be more willing to say something to Jaime.

 

* * *

 

It was just as she was getting ready for bed, when Jaime called. She’d barely said ‘hello’, when he asked, with a graveness she’d never heard from him before, “Tokoha... are you sitting down right now?”

“Jaime?” She half-leaned against her desk, trying to talk herself into being more confused than actually worried, “What are you talking about, did something happen-”

“Please, sit down and listen to me calmly.”

Even though he was trying to sound calm himself, there was a tremor in his voice. Her heart picked up, and she barely felt herself walking over to her bed and sitting there. “...Okay. What’s wrong?”

“...”

“Jaime?” Her nerves came out sharp, aggressive, and she wanted to apologize when she heard him breathe in deeply, and then finally speak.

“Miguel... Miguel has died.”

 

* * *

 

The next week passed in a kind of fog. Tokoha kept going to classes, and spent as much time as she could with friends. Having Akane around especially helped. She made sure to leave work early so they could eat dinner together, and made time to talk about what had happened with her. But Tokoha just couldn’t stop thinking about Miguel. She hadn’t been able to go to the funeral - it had been in his hometown, too sudden and far away for her to get tickets or time off school. Jaime went, though, for both of them. He called and told her about it, and took pictures when she asked for them. It looked like a nice ceremony. Miguel’s family looked like nice people.

She didn’t know any of them. Really, she hadn’t known Miguel that long at all. But he’d still been her friend. A good friend, who helped her so much, and she couldn’t be there for him when he needed it. She hadn’t even managed to find out why he’d been acting strange, and Jaime had done no better, and now she’d never get the chance to learn anything more about him.

She hated feeling like this. Lost and confused and useless. But no matter how much she tried to distract herself, or reason through it, it just hung over her head. It hurt. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do to make any of it make sense.

It was on her way back from school, idly thumbing through her phone, that she realized. In between the fog her head had been in and all the messages from Jaime, there was a text from Chrono she’d completely overlooked. Stomach twisting in guilt, she immediately called him, not even bothering to worry about the time zone difference. It took a couple of rings, but he finally picked up. When he heard why she’d been so distracted, he immediately said they could talk later, when she was feeling up to it. But she insisted. She needed something to get her mind off Miguel, at least for a while.

And then he told her about the weird fight he’d had. The old friend who’d been acting strange. The visions he saw. He told her about Kazumi Onimaru.

The fog in her head was steadily replaced by buzzing. She’d barely remember how the conversation ended later on, only the way the sense of wrongness that had started with Miguel a week ago escalated, reverbated, more and more intensely. It couldn't really be unrelated, right? Kazumi had even come to see Miguel not long ago. She kicked herself for not knowing about it until afterwards, she could have met the guy herself, maybe gotten a clearer idea of what was going on.

Or maybe, she was thinking by the time she reached her apartment, it wasn’t too late to figure that out after all.

The idea was only half-formed in her head, even when she knocked on the door to Akane’s room. Even as she heard herself asking, “Akane, how much leave could I get if I wanted to participate in a Vanguard tournament?”

Akane had only just opened the door, and her surprise at the question even overpowered the concern Tokoha had gotten used to seeing on her face. “Well, it would depend on the level, I suppose. What did you have in mind?”

“The U20. I heard last year it lasted a couple of weeks. Could I get permission to participate in the whole thing?”

Then, understanding seeped in. Akane looked at her more seriously, and opened her door further. “The U20 _is_ internationally recognized. If you were to tell the school you were going to use it as a step towards becoming a pro fighter, they might be persuaded. But Tokoha... are you sure you want to? It’s going to be hard to catch back up, leaving this early in the semester.” Her expression softened, and she put a hand on Tokoha’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’re hurting, but do you think this is the best way to handle it?”

“Yes,” she said, and as always, the act of deciding in itself made her feel certain, “I can ask some of my friends to send me any assignments or notes. I can take tests online if I have to. I’ll find a way to make it work, no matter what.”

Akane watched her for a few seconds, then, started to smile, fond and just as determined. “Alright. If it’s what you want, then I’ll talk to the school on your behalf as a member of the Vanguard Association. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can convince them.”

“Thank you,” Tokoha said, smiling honestly for the first time in days. She hated not knowing what was happening around her. She hated feeling useless and confused. But now she had a plan. Whatever it took, she was going to get answers, and Miguel’s team was the best place to look for them.

And, she just barely let herself admit, it might be nice, to be home for a little bit right now.


	7. Preparation: Chapter 4

Chrono tried not to sigh while he watched the customers playing around the store. He hadn’t had any luck asking Kumi to join his team, either. When he had, she’d looked so surprised and started beaming for about two seconds... and then clapped her hands together and bowed at nearly a ninety degree angle.

“I’m sorry, Chrono! I’d really like to, but...” She lifted her head, pouting and looking guilty, “I kind of... already promised someone else that the first team I joined would be theirs. I’m really, reeeeally sorry!”

“It’s okay!” He’d said, feeling more awkward at the extent of her apology then disappointed, “I get it, seriously, you don’t have to feel bad. I can ask someone else.”

Now, though, he guessed he _was_ feeling a little down about it. Kumi had always been a good player, but she’d been working really hard on her own lately. He’d felt sure their team would do great with her on it, and just as importantly, he trusted her with knowing about whatever was going on with Kazumi. But if she already promised someone, then that was that.

At least asking Taiyou had gone as well as he thought it would. The younger boy had never asked him outright about joining a tournament together - he knew Chrono was trying to focus on preparing for the next exam - but Chrono wasn’t blind. He saw the way Taiyou looked at the posters when he dropped by Card Capital 2. Honestly, he almost felt guilty about it. It didn’t feel exactly fair, asking Taiyou to join a tournament with him only now that there was something suspicious he wanted to investigate.

But there were very few people Chrono trusted as much as Taiyou; he would have wanted him on his side for this no matter what. And Taiyou did still agree, even knowing what this was going to be about.

Besides... if they didn’t find a third member, it would all be a moot point. Chrono tapped his fingers against the counter, trying to think. When they talked about it, Taiyou had suggested Hiroki Moriyama. Chrono may never have fought him, but he knew the boy was strong enough. That wasn’t why he hesitated to agree. This wasn’t just about winning a tournament, it was about finding out what was going on with an old friend. It just felt too personal an issue to involve someone he barely knew right now, even if Taiyou was vouching for him. Maybe Kamui? He was still the right age, but he was also in his last year of high school. Could he afford to spend so much time at a tournament right now?

Chrono groaned. There were going to be qualifier tournaments taking place over the next few weeks. He still had time. But he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t starting to feel anxious. This all happened so fast and abruptly, and he at least wanted to feel sure that he’d even be able to enter the U20 at all.

The door slid open, and Chrono tried to push the thoughts aside. He was at work right now, that’s what he needed to focus on. “Hey, good afternoon-” he started to say, before his mouth abruptly stopped working.

The boy walking in hadn’t noticed him yet, too busy looking at the displays and shelves. But Chrono couldn’t look at anything else. There were probably a lot of guys out there with gray eyes and dark hair, but surely there was only one his age with a white streak in their bangs?

Then, finally, the boy looked over at him. And he froze, his eyes widening with recognition as they kept jumping from Chrono’s face to his hair.

That settled it. Chrono asked, “Kazuma?”

As if in confirmation, the boy immediately pivoted on his heel and headed right back towards the door.

Chrono’s brain may have still been processing this, but his body didn’t wait for it to finish. He hurried around the desk, not even worrying whether the other customers noticed, saying, “Hey, wait a minute! It is you, right?”

Halfway out the door, the boy paused. His whole body was taut, like he was about to just take off running. Then, slowly, he looked back over his shoulder. “...Hey, Chrono,” he said, “Long time no see.” He was smiling when he said that, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Those stayed tense and wary, and Chrono couldn’t help but hesitate when he saw that.

“Yeah, I’m... I’m really glad to see you again,” he said, trying to smile himself and feeling it hanging awkwardly on his face, “I had no idea how to find you after...”

Kazuma stiffened, and Chrono immediately bit his tongue. Dammit, of course that’d be a sore subject. But what Kazuma said then just left Chrono more confused. “What, that guy wouldn’t even tell you that?” He laughed bitterly, dropping his eyes and muttering, “Figures... of course he’d try to keep you to himself...”

Chrono blinked. “What do you-”

But then Kazuma straightened, and turned to face Chrono straight on. “Tell him you saw me or don’t, I don’t care,” he said, “Either way, I’m not coming back here.” And then he did leave, bolting out the door before Chrono could get another word out.

“Kazuma-!”

Chrono wanted to chase after him, of course. Kazuma obviously had the wrong idea about something, with how little sense he made. But then one of the customers - a little girl - tugged on his shirt.

“Um, are you okay?” The kid was holding one of the trial decks. Chrono swallowed down the impulse to go after Kazuma, and tried to refocus on his job.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Sorry.” Now that he was forced to calm down, there were quite a few people looking over his way. Some seemed pretty worried. He kicked himself for drawing so much attention like that, and bent down to talk to the girl. “Did you want to try out that deck?” She smiled, nodding vigorously, and Chrono managed to return it. “Alright, let’s go over to one of the tables, I’ll show you how to get started.”

By the time he’d finished getting her set up, there was no chance of catching up to Kazuma. Chrono didn’t even know what direction he’d left in. But he realized, as he went over the scene in his head for the rest of his shift, Kazuma had come in wearing the same high school uniform that he had.

 

* * *

 

Although it felt like the obvious thing to do, Chrono couldn’t help wondering if it was really a good idea to try and find Kazuma at their school. It felt a little stalker-ish. Was this the universe’s idea of irony or something?

But... even though Kazuma had made it pretty obvious he didn’t want to talk to Chrono, it also seemed obvious that he had jumped to some conclusions. ‘That guy’ he mentioned had to be Kazumi, didn’t it? He was the only person they had in common at this point. Chrono guessed it made sense that Kazuma thought they were still spending time together, since they only stopped after he left. But if the only reason Kazuma didn’t want to see him was because of a misunderstanding, then Chrono at least wanted to tell him the truth.

There was also the issue of why Kazuma wanted to avoid Kazumi so badly... maybe they fought or something before Kazuma had to leave the house? Or maybe Kazumi had suddenly showed up and acted weird the same way he had with Chrono... in which case, that seemed important for Chrono to know, if he was going to figure out what was going on.

Besides, he reasoned, it wasn’t like he was trying to find Kazuma’s house or anything. They went to the same school, they were likely to run into each other eventually, even without trying. Shouldn’t they both know that?

He was still mulling over it at the lockers, when he heard Kumi pop up behind him asking, “Chrono-kun? Are you alright?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m fine,” he said, looking back at her and trying to perk himself up, “G‘morning to you too.”

But Kumi still looked worried, lacing her fingers together. “Um... are you still having trouble finding a third member?”

Chrono blinked. He’d totally forgotten about that, after what had happened. He shook his head, and said, “No, this isn’t about that,” only realizing after the words were out that he’d pretty much just admitted something _was_ bothering him. When Kumi tilted her head and made an inquisitive noise, he quickly weighed his options, and decided to admit, “I kind of... found out someone I know goes to this school. I’ve been thinking about looking for him, that’s all.”

“Oh... what’s his name? Maybe I’ve heard of him.”

He guessed it was okay to tell her about this. He’d been planning on letting her know about Kazumi, after all, and this was much lower stakes. “Well, his first name’s Kazuma, but-”

Kumi blinked. “Kazuma Shouji?”

“I’m not sure... white streak in his hair?”

“Yeah!” She clapped her hands, beaming with excitement, “He’s in my class!”

...

Chrono had gotten pretty used to the idea of fate, whether that meant listening to it or fighting against it. Either way, it was hard to ignore that fate was practically screaming in his ear at this point. That settled it, he had to at least try to talk to Kazuma. Kumi led him up to her classroom, humming lightly. As they headed up the stairs, he asked, “So... do you talk to him much?”

She looked back over her shoulder at him, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. “Not really... he’s kind of hard to talk to. He isn’t in any clubs, and usually just leaves right away once class is over. And, um,” she frowned a little, looking frustrated, “Some rumors are going around that he’s been spending time with shady people.” Then she tossed her head, pink hair bouncing up into a cloud. “But I don’t think there’s any reason to listen to that. People always said the same thing about you, after all.”

Chrono smiled a little at that, though the rest of what she said left him a little uneasy. It just sounded too familiar, compared to how he’d been just a couple of years ago.

Whether that house was a good place for Kazuma or not, it had to have hurt a lot, leaving so suddenly. Chrono wished he’d been able to find him sooner.

Finally, they reached her class. Kumi poked her head in, peering around carefully. “There! You wait here,” she said, pushing Chrono just out of sight of the door, before practically skipping inside towards Kazuma’s desk. “Shouji-kun! Someone’s here to see you.”

“So? Tell them to-”

“C’mon, no time to waste, class is about to start!”

Kumi cajoled him right out into the hallway, despite Kazuma’s flat, irritated look, then turned to dart back into the classroom and let them talk alone. Probably for the best. When he saw Chrono, Kazuma's expression immediately darkened, and he snapped, “Oh great, so you’re following me to school now?”

Chrono gestured helplessly at his own uniform. “I mean, I do go here too, y’know.”

That caught him by surprise, at least, but he recovered quickly and said, "And _I_ haven’t magically changed my mind from yesterday.”

“I know,” Chrono said, “But I think you’ve got the wrong idea about something. I just wanted to clear it up.”

“I don’t need anything ‘cleared up’.” Kazuma didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t have to. There was enough bitterness lacing every word, they were practically poisoned with it, “I’d say six years makes things pretty damn clear, and if Kazumi doesn’t want anything to do with me, I don’t want anything to do with him either. You can just run back and tell him-”

“After you left the house,” Chrono blurted, “I stopped visiting.”

The interruption derailed whatever rant Kazuma was getting onto, thankfully, and even after a few seconds, he still only managed to say, “What?”

Relieved to at least be given a chance to explain, Chrono said, “The next time I came by, after you were gone, Kazumi told me to stop. I did see him recently, but... that was the first time since then. And he wasn’t...” Chrono shook his head, still not sure how to really explain this. “He wasn’t... the same. And I still haven't seen him since.”

Kazuma kept his expression carefully guarded. But he was listening. He didn’t try to deny what Chrono was saying. And then, almost tentatively, he asked, “...Really?”

Chrono nodded, and wanted to say more, but then the warning bell rang. Chrono clicked his tongue in frustration. “Look, obviously there isn’t time right now. But how about after school? I just want to explain what’s been going on. If you still don’t want to see me anymore after that, then I won’t bother you again. Promise.”

Kazuma held himself very stiffly for a few seconds. Then he let out a long sigh, rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Fine. Whatever. I guess I can give up a few minutes, at least.”

Chrono smiled. “Great, thanks.” Whatever might happen after, at least he was finally getting a chance to really talk to one of them.


	8. Preparation: Chapter 5

None of this was a sign, because Kazuma didn’t believe in signs. That the first card shop he walked into in years just happened to be the one Chrono was working at was just a coincidence. A weird coincidence, sure, but nothing he needed to think too hard about. What was bothering him more, honestly, was how the hell had he managed to not notice Chrono went to this school? That fire engine hair of his should’ve been a warning he could have seen a mile away. Guess leaving as soon as the last bell rang had its drawbacks...

Maybe he should ditch Chrono today after all. Just slink off while he could and leave him waiting. But even as the thought occurred, he wound up catching Okazaki’s eye. She smiled and waved at him, and he remembered how she’d dragged him out to the hall. No good. Even if he avoided them both today, he’d still have to face her tomorrow for sure. It was easier to just get it over with.

Besides, if... if Chrono wasn’t lying, if he really wasn’t talking to Kazumi anymore, then... he didn’t actually have a reason to avoid him, did he?

It was hard to believe that was actually true, though. Kazumi mooned over Chrono all the time back then. If anything, he should have been happy when it was just the two of them. Kazumi finally had an equal, and neither of them had to humor the useless third wheel anymore. They should have wound up closer than ever.

...But it was just as hard to believe that Chrono was lying. It was a long time ago, sure, but Chrono had always been so blunt and direct. For him to lie right to his face, without showing any signs of it...

Kazuma turned to keep his eyes fixed out the window. There was no point in thinking about any of this. Even if it was true, it didn’t change enough. Nothing good would come from them digging up a friendship that had been buried years ago. Kazuma would hear Chrono out today, then tell him he didn’t want to see him again, and just... go back to normal. Nice and easy.

When the last class let out, Kazuma headed towards the second floor stairs where they’d agreed to meet. He wound up there first, giving him a few extra minutes to wrangle with the impulse to just leave already. But when Chrono finally rounded the corner and spotted him, he smiled and looked like he had no doubt Kazuma would be there. It left a weight in his stomach that he couldn’t shake.

“Alright, alright,” Kazuma said, tucking his hands into his pockets, “So where do you wanna have this little chat, anyway?”

“I thought the roof? They usually leave it unlocked, I figure that should be pretty private.” Chrono gestured up the stairs with his thumb.

Kazuma raised an eyebrow. “Why do you know that?”

“Kumi found out about it; we have lunch up there sometimes.”

The question ‘what, is she your girlfriend or something?’ remained firmly shut in his throat. It wasn’t any of his business, and it didn’t matter. Instead, he just shrugged, and followed Chrono up. The closer they had this talk, the faster he could get it over with.

Once they were actually outside, Kazuma immediately recanted that thought. The roof felt too open and empty. Exposed, even with the chain link fence around the perimeter. The only sounds of people  were distant calls from those on the ground, and the wind muffled even that. He didn’t want this to be private, he wanted it  _ over _ . Taking a breath, he leaned back against the door they’d just come through and said, “Okay. You wanted to explain, so shoot.”

Chrono nodded. “Well, like I said, I didn’t keep going to the Onimaru house after I found out you were gone. I was stuck in the orphanage for a while after-” that detail was something Kazuma hadn’t thought about in years, and being reminded of it now sent a jab of guilt through him, “-but once my aunt was able to take me in, I did try to find you.” Chrono sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “I didn’t know your last name, though, so I didn’t get very far.”

Kazuma blinked. And then, slowly, covered his face in his hands and let out a long, rattling groan. “Oh my  _ god _ ,” he finally managed, “That guy didn’t even bother to tell you  _ that _ ?”

Chrono smirked a little. “Yeah, it was pretty frustrating when I realized ‘Kazuma Onimaru’ wasn’t getting me anywhere.” But he shook his head, his expression taking a self-deprecating bend. “Neither of us were really thinking clearly, that last time. It was all kind of rushed, and he was pretty upset-”

Despite his decision to just listen and move things along, Kazuma had to snort at that. “Oh please. If he didn’t say something, it’s because he didn’t  _ want  _ to say it.”

That seemed to startled Chrono, who blinked a few times before asking, “You really think he’d do something like that deliberately?”

“Of course I do. It had to be an act. If he was really upset, why didn’t he ever try to see me? Or call, or write, or anything?” His voice was starting to shake, and he looked away, wanting to stop even while the rest of the words tumbled out on their own. “He was their stupid goddamn heir, he could have done anything he wanted.”

But if he really could, why would he send Chrono away?

He stiffened as the thought bit at him again, and tried to brush it away again. It didn’t matter. Maybe Kazumi got tired of Chrono too. Maybe Kazumi didn’t like Chrono as much as he thought. He never had any idea what that guy was thinking before, why should this be any different?

“He seriously didn’t talk to you about it...” Kazuma couldn’t tell if that was a question or statement, and looking at Chrono, caught between aggravation and disbelief, didn’t clear it up. “He sounded so sure, I figured he must have-”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought it was weird too, back then,” Chrono said, “When he told me he wasn’t going to try to see you again. I asked him why, and he just kept saying that he shouldn’t, and it was better you were away from the house, and that you were happier that way.”

For some reason, Chrono’s voice started sounding distant. Kazuma felt his breath catching, his heart picking up, and decided Chrono had to be lying. Or, no... he really couldn’t believe that, when Chrono looked so honestly frustrated with what he was saying. So... Kazumi... Kazumi must have lied to him. No other explanation made sense. Kazumi could always tell what he was feeling; back then, his brother had known him better than anyone. Kazumi had to have known what he was doing, what it would mean to him to be cut off like that. He didn’t  _ make  _ mistakes, especially not ones that big.

“Hey, are you okay?” Chrono’s voice, stern and worried, and his hands on Kazuma’s shoulders startled Kazuma out of the spiral his thoughts were falling into. He was aware, very suddenly, that he’d broken out into a cold sweat.

He knocked Chrono’s hands away, though with less force than he meant. “I’m fine,” he said, and at least those words came out steady enough.

To his surprise, Chrono said, “I'm sorry... I don’t want to make excuses for him, or say you shouldn’t be hurt just ‘cause he meant well. It just seemed like something you should know.” Then he grimaced, stepping back and glaring out towards the city. “Next time I see him, I’ll make sure to chew him out for you.”

Oh thank god, a change in subject. Kazuma clung onto it like a life preserver. “So you  _ are  _ planning to see him again?”

“Kind of, yeah,” Chrono said, putting some space between them by sitting down over against the fence. “I think he’s going to be in a Vanguard tournament that’s coming up. The U20. So I’m entering too.”

Kazuma guessed it wasn’t a surprise, if Chrono worked at a Vanguard card shop, that he’d be doing tournaments too. It was Chrono’s persistence that didn’t make any sense. “You haven’t seen this guy in years, you know. Why get involved now?” Kazuma asked, walking over to where he was sitting, “Even you said he isn’t like he used to be. Just what do you think’s gonna happen?”

But Chrono shook his head. “No, that’s why I’m getting involved.” He’d been looking serious for a while, but now his expression actually darkened. “There were some things he said that sounded pretty off, like his luck changing lately, and he wouldn’t talk about himself or what’s been going on with him at all, and... a few other bad signs too. I think maybe he’s involved in something dangerous.”

Kazuma felt himself grow very still. He didn’t want to listen to this. He didn’t care what Kazumi was doing anymore. But he still heard himself asking, “What do you mean ‘dangerous’? It’s just a tournament.”

“You still play Vanguard, right?”

...Guess he couldn’t really deny it. Chrono  _ had _ seen him go into the store. “Just casually.”

Chrono nodded. “Maybe you didn’t hear, then. But there were a lot of problems last year in the Vanguard Association. The whole story’s kind of complicated, but basically, the founder had been exploiting some strong players, getting them to do bad things for him... it got pretty serious.” He frowned, leaning back to look up at Kazuma, “That guy was stopped, but... there’s some things about this situation that remind me of it.”

Kazuma tried to scoff, keeping his arms tightly crossed. He could feel his hands shaking even then. “It’s still not your job to fix it. Just tell, I don’t know, the person running the stupid tournament. Someone else in that association. Whoever.”

“Well, if I had some proof there was something bigger going on, I would. But right now it’s just a feeling. And...” The intensity in Chrono’s eyes shifted. Softened. “If it’s possible to just talk to him and get things sorted out that way, I’d rather do that.”

Kazuma didn’t know if Chrono was really that nice, or just that oblivious. Didn’t he remember how smart and confident Kazumi always was, even when it came to adults? Even if he was involved in something bad, it  _ had  _ to be because he wanted to.

...Although, it... it was true he hadn’t seen Kazumi. Chrono had. And Chrono  _ wasn’t  _ oblivious, not really, and hadn’t he made it clear there was still plenty about those days he remembered just fine? Maybe Kazumi really was acting that strange. But what kind of person was capable of manipulating his brother, if that’s what was going on? They’d have to be some kind of genius. Or maybe they had some kind of leverage on him, or...

“Hey, Kazuma,” Chrono said, pulling him out of his own head again, “I... look, feel free to say no, but... the U20’s gonna be a team tournament. Do you wanna enter with me?”

For a second, there was no wind, and no sounds from below. Complete silence. Then Kazuma said, “...Huh?”

“Really, it’s just an idea. No pressure. But I thought... maybe it’d help if you got a chance to talk to him yourself.” Chrono was looking at him thoughtfully, with a focus Kazuma recognized from playing together, “And you do look pretty worried.” Kazuma jumped a little. That- that was ridiculous. He had no reason to be. It didn’t matter to him what Kazumi did. It  _ didn’t _ . Even the suggestion... anger and futility both choked him, stopped up his throat, left him with silently clenched teeth and fists digging into his sides.

“Kazuma...” Chrono said, and he was once again aware of showing too much on his face, “Sorry, that was a bad idea. Pretend I didn’t ask.”

Yeah. Yeah, he could do that. He was going to, he’d forget this whole conversation, and let Chrono chase after Kazumi by himself, and the two of them could wind up in their own little world again, and...

And the thought left his chest so tight he could barely breathe.

He half-fell back against the chain link fence, sliding down until he was sitting next to Chrono, despite the way it rattled against him. Let out a long breath. “...No, it’s fine,” he said, feeling his face smooth over into something more neutral, “But I might not even be any good at the game these days. You wanna take that risk?”

Chrono paused, but shook his head, smiling a bit. “Nah, I don’t believe that. You were seriously exhausting to try and beat, you know?” Then he grinned, playful and toothy and familiar enough to hurt. “But if you wanna show me what you’ve got, we could always have a fight.”

Immediately, Kazuma said, “I left my deck at home.”

“Another time, then,” Chrono said, easily enough. Then he asked, “Are you still using the Dragwizards?”

“...I guess.” Chrono was still kind of smiling at him. Kazuma gave him a flat look back. “What now?”

At least he had the sense to look awkward about it then. Chrono forced a quick laugh, like he was trying to make it sound inconsequential. “Nothing, never mind.”

Kazuma had to roll his eyes. Yeah, that settled one thing. This guy had definitely not learned how to lie all that well. “Oh, so  _ now  _ you want to keep something to yourself?”

“Well, it’s just...” Chrono still hesitated for a few seconds, and then admitted, “He’s still using the same deck as back then too. It was almost identical.”

Kazuma’s mouth went dry when he heard that. He didn’t know what to say, or why hearing that hit so hard. But suddenly, he could remember so clearly, how bright the sunset always looked on that porch. The sound of Kazumi’s voice, saying-

And then he shut it down. There was no point in remembering. Any of it.

...But by now, there was something else nagging at him.

He kept his eyes fixed forward, not quite daring to look at Chrono. “...Can I have some time to think about it?”

“Sure thing!” Even from just his voice, Kazuma could tell Chrono was grinning. How could he be so happy about something like this? How could Chrono still care about either of them, after so long? He had at least one other friend, and a job, and still loved Vanguard on his own terms. Maybe he needed them back when they were kids, but not any more.

So Kazuma was going to make him realize that. He owed his childhood friend that much.

“Thanks,” he said, turning to Chrono, his own smile stretching easily across his face. Smooth and slick. Then he asked Chrono if he had work this afternoon, and sure enough, the other boy hadn’t told his manager he’d be in late today. After getting a promise to tell him for sure whether he’d join his team in the next few days, Chrono had no choice but to take off and leave Kazuma alone up there. And as for Kazuma... there was just one place to go now.

 

* * *

 

“Oi, Shouji, there you are,” Ryo said, leaning against the door, pink jacket as eye-catching as ever. “We were wondering if you were gonna bother today.”

Kazuma just shrugged. “Got held up at school.”

“Well, good thing you’re here. We’ve got a tough nut to crack this time.”

Kazuma felt himself starting to smirk. “You don’t say.” It came naturally, as did the confidence he felt, walking up the steps to the small room they’d taken for their own.

There was no particular reason why he’d started hanging out in this dump at first. He just wanted to be somewhere other than school or the empty apartment waiting for him, and this building had been abandoned for a while. Seemed safe enough at the time. When Ryo and Tetsuo had shown up and tried to give him a hard time about lazing around ‘their’ turf, it had seemed more funny than anything. Like they were anywhere near as scary as the house had been.

But he hadn’t wanted to give the place up, if he could help it. So when he noticed their Vanguard decks, he’d forced himself to come back the next day with his own.

Turned out, he barely even had to think about what he was doing to beat them, it was so easy. And in the end, they’d practically begged him to be their leader.

That wound up being easy too. Those two were weak, and so were the people they dragged in to fight him. Even when one or two of the losers tried to cause a fuss, it wasn’t a big deal. Fights were even easier than Vanguard; there were three of them, after all, and only one poor sap stuck between them.

These expectations, he could meet. He understood them, and understood how pointless it all was. Even winning didn’t really matter. It just killed a few hours, and got him some money for snacks. When he had to listen to these two blather on with a bunch of nonsense about getting bigger, taking more territory, he knew it would never go anywhere, because they were both cowards too. There wasn’t a single thing here he really had to care about.

This was the kind of person he was. If Chrono had known that...

He drew the critical he needed, and his opponent dropped his final damage down. As Ryo snatched the wallet out of his opponent’s hand and emptied it, Kazuma looked down at his cards. At Luard, staring back at him.

Chrono wasn’t like him. He was better. That had been made obvious a long time ago, and time only confirmed it. It was only because Chrono was strong and decent, that he’d kept thinking of him. And Kazuma might be worthless, but even he didn’t want to make Chrono waste any more of his time. If he left things as they were right now, that’s definitely what would happen, even if Chrono kept his word and didn’t say anything to him again.

It wasn’t hard to make people give up on you. It was easier than almost anything, actually. He’d play along with Chrono for a bit, and eventually the other boy would figure it out on his own. Once Chrono saw, understood, the kind of person he really was, then he’d give up too and finally move on with his life. Kazuma was certain of it.

And, he thought, smiling emptily at his avatar, if Chrono only realized all that too late, and wound up cut off from that tournament and Kazumi... then Chrono wouldn’t have anyone to blame but himself.


	9. Preparation: Chapter 6

Rin let out a yawn, crossing her legs and leaning back on the bench. Honestly, she’d been here ten minutes already, and there was no sign of Mamoru Anjou at all. What was even the point of coming all the way out to the Dragon Empire?

She took a lollipop out of her pocket, unwrapping it and popping it in her mouth. Well, she supposed there wasn’t anywhere better to be these day. The United Sanctuary branch was so unbearably dull since the change in leadership, she wouldn’t be caught dead there. As was school. That wasn’t anything new, but all the pestering from the teachers over what she planned to do next year was, and it was _agonizing_ to sit through. They just wouldn’t take ‘I’ll do whatever seems most interesting’ as an answer. But she certainly wasn’t about to force herself to apply to colleges and take more classes she wasn’t interested in just to please other people.

Gnawing lightly on the candy in her mouth, she dragged her eyes across the lobby again. Nothing but kids and hobbyists as far as the eye could see. Mamoru Anjou always insisted he was too busy to fight her during work, but the alternative he proposed was absolutely unacceptable. She couldn’t even imagine something more dull than plodding through one of this branch’s goofy tournaments and fight a bunch of casuals.

Once or twice she’d bothered giving the players here some of her time, and sure enough, none of them deserved it. Really... there wasn’t a single person around lately who could even put up a decent challenge. It was all so _boring_.

“Oh, Hashima-senpai! You’re here again?”

Rin blinked slowly, her gaze shifted towards the pink-haired girl running over to her with a big dopey smile. This player in particular... she really didn’t learn, did she?

“Ah, you. I suppose you want another rematch?” Rin asked, leaning back on her hands.

The girl squeezed her deck box, beaming and nodding like a bobble-headed doll. “Yes!”

“Annoying...” she muttered. But this visit was already shaping up to be a waste. At least fighting would kill some time. She bit down hard enough to shatter the hard candy and pushed herself up, letting a smile of her own stretch across her face. “Well~ If you’re so eager to lose again, I suppose I can indulge you.”

Not even a flinch. Pinkie just kept smiling evenly, and then suddenly grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards one of the open tables. “You never know,” she said, a sneaky edge to her voice, “I’ve been practicing a lot lately. And I’ve got a really great teacher.”

Rin rolled her eyes. If practice was all it took, then any brat could win. But ever since a certain little coward ran off to another country while her back was turned, she still couldn’t find a single other person worth facing.

Still, if she couldn’t crush the real thing, Rin supposed there was some satisfaction to be had from defeating one of Tokoha Anjou’s _dear_ friends.

Fighting this girl was, if nothing else, time consuming. She deliberated over her moves carefully, rarely making any rash decisions at the beginning. By now, too, she’d gotten used to fighting Rin’s deck, and wouldn’t let her build up high damage early on, in favor of strengthening her field and hand for the long run.

It wasn’t a bad strategy; Rin supposed she could give her that at least. But Rin had gotten used to fighting her too. And she knew it was just a matter of time. Once this girl started getting flustered, she got careless too. A bad hand, failing to draw a few triggers - that was all it could take to get her off-balance. And then Rin could close in and pounce. She stifled a small giggle at the image, and guarded another one of Pinkie’s attacks.

Though, as turn after turn ended, Rin started to feel a little impatient herself. Normally Pinkie would’ve already started slipping by now, but she looked and acted as steady as she had at the start of the fight. And Rin wasn’t quite managing to break through her defenses the way she’d been able to every other time. Narrowing her eyes at the girl across from her, Rin decided a little prodding was in order.

“My, you certainly have been working hard to improve,” Rin said, “But whatever for? Hoping to be the biggest fish in this tiny pond?” The girl kept staring at her hand and deck, focused on the game. Rin sniffed. Then smiled and said, “Or do you still have your eyes on reaching Tokoha Anjou’s level?”

That got her to look up, but instead of seeming surprised, she just beamed. “That’s right, Tokoha-chan’s super incredible! I knew you thought so too.”

“That’s-!” Rin closed her mouth, and after a moment of deliberation, chose to play into it. “Well, it’s true that Tokoha Anjou is strong enough. A proper, one-of-a-kind flower. Making you the insect fluttering about her-”

“I had a feeling you’d understand, you know,” Pinkie said, looking back at her hand and ignoring half the words out of Rin’s mouth, “I really miss her too.”

Rin bit her tongue hard enough to leave her sputtering for a moment. “I _do not_ miss her!”

Pinkie tilted her head, humming obliviously. “But Mamoru-kun said you started coming a lot after she left? And that you keep asking about her.”

“Only because I had to, obviously! That girl didn’t say a word to me, I wouldn’t have even known she’d gone anywhere if he hadn’t-” And then Rin snapped her mouth shut, because Pinkie was smiling that dopey smile at her again.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed. I was sad when she left too.” She drew another card, still deliberating over her hand. “I mean, I’m really happy that she’s chasing her dreams. And I’m so, so proud of her. But... oh, got it! Battle Sister Mocha, attack Back Slice, Harut!”

“Guard!” Rin called, almost more of a reflex than really a command.

Pinkie remained unphased, and kept looking carefully at the rest of her field. She looked so focused, it caught Rin by surprise when she started talking again. “You know,” she said, hand hovering back and forth over the cards in front of her, “When I first started playing, Tokoha-chan asked me to be on her team for a tournament. But my grade was too low, so I couldn’t. Now I am, and I’m entering tournaments on my own, but she’s...” Then her eyes snapped to attention. “Battle Sister Marshmallow, attack Gavrail!”

“Intercept,” Rin called, with a roll of her eyes. “I hope you don’t expect me to feel sorry for you,” she said, “It’s only natural that you’d fall behind. That’s what happens to the weak.” The girl didn’t say anything, still looking at her cards. Rin started to smirk again, “If you can’t catch up to her on your own, she’ll leave your sight before you know it. Or has she already?”

But, rather than pout or start to tear up, Pinkie laughed. “That’s right! That’s exactly what I have to do.” Smiling, she said, “Battle Sister, Madeleine, attack Gavrail again!”

Rin look at her hand, frowning lightly. She shouldn’t have called that first guard, she didn’t have enough left to protect against this attack. “No guard,” she said, as disinterestedly as she could. It was fine, she only had a twin drive. There was no way-

“Two criticals!” Rin blinked, certain she hadn’t heard the girl right. She leaned in to look more closely at the Psychic Bird and Ginger that she was holding up. Pinkie beamed, and said, “I give all effects to Madeleine!”

Rin stared at her, and then down at her damage zone. That was six. No, that couldn’t be. She couldn’t be defeated in a place like this, by this kind of person. But apparently no one told Pinkie, because she was clapping and hopping up and down, cheering, “I did it! I really beat Rin Hashima! Wait ‘til I tell Tokoha and Chrono and Misaki and-”

Already beginning to scoop her cards back up, Rin barked, “You got _lucky_ , is what you did!”

This failed to dampen Pinkie’s spirits. She just kept smiling and giggling “You know, I used to be so mad at you, for that time you made Tokoha feel bad through your whole fight. But...” Her expression turned sneaky again, and she hid a small smirk behind a hand, “She told me later~ That you came to the hospital after all those terrible things happened to the Dragon Empire. And you helped her snap out of it when she was feeling bad.”

Rin felt herself grinding her teeth. Tokoha Anjou actually told someone about that? How dare she? She should count herself lucky she was on another continent right now, or Rin wouldn’t rest until she’d dished out an appropriate punishment.

“So I figured, deep down, you couldn’t be totally bad!” Suddenly, she reached over, taking Rin’s hands in her own. It caught Rin by enough surprise that she was stunned into not pulling away. “Thank you so much for helping me practice all this time! If I can beat you, then I’m sure I can fight at her side too.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Rin snapped, swiftly removing her hands from Pinkie’s grasp, instead finishing piling her cards back into her deck and starting to shuffle again. “Come on, let’s have a rematch. I’ll show you how fleeting victory really is.”

For some unfathomable reason, that made the girl giggle. But she nodded and started to collect her own cards, when suddenly her cell phone started ringing. Rin narrowed her eyes at it, even more so when - instead of silencing it and getting on with the fight like a reasonable person - Pinkie immediately answered it and seemed to forget Rin was right in front of her at all.

“Hello, Tokoha-chan? Are you feeling any better now?”

Rin’s eyes narrowed even further, as she leaned in just a little. But it was no good, she couldn’t overhear anything from the other end of the line. Pinkie, for her part, continued to pay Rin exactly zero percent of her attention, not even looking at her or apologizing for letting their rematch get delayed. She just had this anxious, worried look on her face, holding on to her phone with both hands like she might drop it or something. Then, she blinked, asked, “Really? Are you sure?” And a few seconds later, her eyes lit up, and she beamed, nodding even though there was no way Tokoha could see it. “Yeah! Of course! I can’t wait to see you, I’m gonna give you the biggest hug ever, just wait!”

Rin straightened back up immediately, snorting lightly. “Just what on earth has you so excited?”

Finally, she looked up from her phone, her whole face practically blinding in its obnoxious cheeriness. “It’s Tokoha-chan,” she said, stating the obvious, “She’s gonna be coming home in a couple of days!”


	10. Preparation: Chapter 7

For the third time in fifteen minutes, Taiyou checked the fountain behind him, and then the clock on his phone. Right place, but still a little early. He’d just wanted to make sure he didn’t have any trouble making his train connection to get here, but now the waiting was starting to get to him. This was his important first meeting with his and Chrono’s final team member, after all. He wanted to make sure he made a good impression on the boy.

It was kind of a shame, though, that he wouldn’t get to enter this tournament with Hiroki too. He understood Chrono’s reasons, of course. Even he had to admit Hiroki wouldn’t be the best person to help with a quiet investigation. But once he’d started thinking about entering with the two of them, it was hard not to feel at least a little disappointed that it wasn’t going to happen. Taiyou couldn’t even work up the hope for a ‘maybe next time’, because Chrono hadn’t seemed interested in tournaments for a while now.

He sighed, then shook his head firmly. No, never mind all that. Uncovering something suspicious or stopping another villain like Myoujin was way more important than a silly little fantasy. Besides, he definitely didn’t want to make their new teammate feel unwanted or left out.

“Hey, Taiyou!”

Perking up at the sound of Chrono’s voice, Taiyou looked up the pathway towards him, and another boy trailing slightly behind him with dark hair and the same school uniform. He waved before hurrying over to meet them. Chrono smiled. “And I thought we were the ones getting here early - sorry, did you wait long?”

“Not at all, just a few minutes.” Taiyou turned towards the unfamiliar boy, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Smiling like he did when working at the United Sanctuary, he said, “Hello, I’m Taiyou Asukawa. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Kazuma Shouji,” the boy said simply, before turning back to Chrono, “Did you seriously ask an elementary school kid to enter this? You really were desperate for members.”

Despite his best efforts, Taiyou felt his smile twitch. Chrono answered first, “Hey, don’t say that, Taiyou’s one of the best players I know.”

“And,” Taiyou said, because this point really couldn’t go uncorrected, “I’m in middle school.”

Kazuma did not seem convinced. “I’m just saying, this is supposed to be a national tournament, isn’t it? You sure you’ve got the lineup you want here?”

“Of course I’m sure,” Chrono said, getting a little annoyed himself, “I wouldn’t have asked either of you if I wasn’t.”

But Taiyou decided to go a step farther. “If you really want some proof of my abilities,” he said, pulling out his deck, “Why don’t we have a fight, and you can see for yourself?” Still, he didn’t want to get too confrontational right off the bat. So he added, more gently, “And it’d a good way to get better introduced, don’t you think?”

Kazuma hesitated, and even if he wanted to get along, Taiyou was still ready to get offended if he said anything about not wanting to fight a kid. But after a few moments, he took out his own deck, even smirking a little. “Sure, why not?”

It wasn’t hard to find a table to play at - there were a lot of them in the park. Even after all the trouble last year, Vanguard’s popularity hadn’t waned at all. And though finding a free one took a few minutes, it cheered Taiyou to see how many were being used. Once they did, though, they were able to set themselves up quickly, with Chrono eagerly standing beside them to watch. He was pretty obviously excited. Taiyou smiled, and promised himself he’d make this a fight worth watching.

“Stand up,” he and Kazuma called together, “Vanguard!”

It wasn’t that Taiyou had any intention of going easy on him, but the first few turns his priority was observing Kazuma’s playstyle and getting a feel for his deck. Dragwizards weren’t a particularly common archetype, and he was curious about seeing them in action. On the other hand, right from the start Kazuma was on the offensive. Although maybe that wasn’t much of a surprise, Taiyou thought with some amusement, from one of Chrono’s friends.

“Ride, Dragheart Luard!” Kazuma said, laying down his first Grade 3, “I call Dragwizard Knies, Abyssal Owl, and Black-Winged Swordbreaker. Attack!”

Taiyou placed his third damage down, looking at the spread of the cards before him. He’d only landed one damage on Kazuma so far. But that wasn’t going to be the case for long.

“Ride, Sunrise Ray Knight, Gurguit!” He called, “Stride Generation! Golden Knight of Incandescence, Ebraucus!” With Ebraucus’s skill and Stride Skill, he was launch a chain of Superior Calls, easily filling out his field in a single turn. “I have two or more units, so Unite requirements have been met. I attack the Vanguard with Pwyll, and then with Ebraucus.”

Kazuma frowned and looked at his hand for several very focused seconds, before begrudgingly saying, “No guard.”

“Triple drive check.” Nothing for the first card, but the second and third were both critical triggers. “All power to Perimore, both criticals to Ebraucus.” It’s all too easy to imagine, the teamwork, the force of the blows. It showed on Kazuma’s face too, the way he grit his teeth and flinched as Taiyou turned his cards and announced each attack. “Attack the Vanguard with Perimore!”

“Generation guard! Dark Knight, Ludvik! Activate skill! Swordbreaker to the Guardian Circle.”

“Turn end.” Taiyou looked at the five damage on Kazuma’s side, and smiled. “So, Kazuma-san, how did you and Chrono-san meet? He said it was a long time ago...”

“Yeah. We were kids and...” He paused while he drew a card, and waited until he’d looked at it carefully and put it in his hand before finishing, “My mom used to work for the Onimaru family. She’d bring me sometime and I’d sneak off and play with the heir.” He looked over at Chrono, smirking, “And the trespasser, of course.”

Something about both the way he paused and the story he told seemed a little off. Like he was trying too hard to be casual. Taiyou glanced over at Chrono, catching his eye, but Chrono just shook his head very slightly. Alright, he wouldn’t press any further then.

He didn’t have much of a chance to, anyway. Kazuma grinned and boasted, “I hope you had fun last turn, ‘cause it’s over now. Stride Generation! Dark Dragon, Carnivore Dragon!” Taiyou watched carefully as Kazuma took full advantage of his skill, remixing his set-up with retreats and new Superior Calls that granted his units extra power. There was no hiding his smugness when he announced, “I now have three or more Grade 1 cards in my drop zone, so the requirements for Ritual are complete. Activate Carnivore Dragon’s skill! Retreat Abyssal Owl! You have to choose two rear guards to retreat.”

Taiyou eyed his field, then reluctantly said, “I retreat Perimore and Pwyll.”

“I move Knies, and call Dragwizard Morfessa. Attack Vanguard with Carnivore Dragon!”

Simple enough. “Perfect guard.”

“Triple drive.” It was a bit of a surprise, seeing Kazuma pull two triggers the same way he had last turn. “All effects go to Morfessa, and add 5000 more power with Ritual,” Kazuma announced, still grinning in a way that was clearly a taunt. “Payback time. Attack the Vanguard!”

He certainly had to admire the combination of plays Kazuma pulled off. But even so- “Perfect guard.”

That wiped the grin right off of Kazuma’s face. He took a few seconds, just blinking at the guard Taiyou had played, like he couldn’t parse it. Then, he managed to grit out, all fire doused, “Attack the Vanguard with Swordbreaker.”

“No guard.”

Only one more damage was done. Taiyou felt pleased with himself for that, but... looking at Kazuma, it was hard to be too excited. It was obvious the older boy was frustrated, but it felt like too strong of a reaction for just that. There seemed to be something else, further behind simple disappointment with how his play turned out. “I’m quite impressed, Kazuma-san,” Taiyou said, trying to cheer him up a little, “Your deck works very well together. The build is strong, and you seem to know it like the back of your hand.”

“Yeah,” Chrono said, grinning, “It’s always responded to you like that. It really was made for you, huh?” Kazuma glanced towards Chrono, still tense and irritated, but didn’t say anything and just dropped his eyes back to the table.

Well, if compliments wouldn’t work... maybe goading him a little would. “Still... I know my Gold Paladin just as well,” Taiyou said, “Stride Generation! Sunrise Ray Radiant Sword, Gurguit!” But although Taiyou’d decided to watch Kazuma carefully, there was so little subtlety in his reaction, almost anyone would have noticed it. The more power he built up through Superior Calls and his paladins’ Unite abilities, the more Kazuma seemed to retreat on himself. He didn’t say anything, he barely even moved. By the time Taiyou finished laying the bricks of his plan, Kazuma even seemed to be shaking.

“Hey, Kazuma?” Chrono asked, stepping towards him, reaching to put a hand on his shoulder, “Are you feeling okay? If you’re sick, we could-”

“I’m fine!” Kazuma snapped, jerking away before Chrono could actually touch him. But after a moment, he closed his eyes and seemed to get a grip on himself. Turning back to Taiyou with renewed determination, he said, “Fine, if that’s all you’ve got, I can handle it. Come on already!”

It was better to see him aggressive than that uncomfortable quiet he’d slipped into, but Taiyou couldn’t brush it off the way Kazuma was trying to. Probably anyone would have noticed a reaction that obvious, but for Taiyou... seeing Kazuma like that felt like looking in a years-old mirror. Still, the only way to confirm it was to keep fighting. “Gurguit, Attack!”

Defiantly, Kazuma responded, “Guard!”

“Attack Vanguard with Sunrise Ray Radiant Sword, Gurguit!”

“Guard!”

“Triple drive.” Kazuma stared at him with a desperate kind of intensity as he drew the three cards. Only one critical trigger, and Kazuma sagged just slightly with relief. “All effects go to Bullrgal,” Taiyou said, “And I attack the Vanguard with Bullrgal.”

“Generation guard!” Kazuma said, throwing down the card, “Dark Dragon, Plotmaker Dragon! Ritual, shield plus 10000!”

“Turn end.” As worried as he was about Kazuma’s reactions, Taiyou couldn’t help feeling frustrated at not quite being able to break through.

But now, Kazuma had wiped out his hand with that defense. And if he had a poor poker face earlier, even that was gone now. As soon as Kazuma looked at the card he drew for that turn, all of his attempted confidence seemed to drain right out of him. After a few stunned seconds, his shoulders slumped, and he dropped his hands to his side. There was definitely no mistaking that he was trembling now, or that he’d broken out into a sweat. Taiyou tried to get his attention with, “Kazuma-san?”, but he didn’t seem to hear it.

“Hey, Kazuma,” Chrono said, this time not approaching him, “Maybe you should take another look at your field.” This time when Kazuma glanced his way, Chrono grinned, and managed to keep his gaze. “I think you’ve got someone there who can pull you through this.”

Kazuma blinked, then fixed his eyes on his field again. It wasn’t long before they caught on Luard, and, softer and fonder than Taiyou would have expected from him, Kazuma said, “That’s right... you’ve always done that, huh.” Finally he lifted his head to look Taiyou in the eye, and Taiyou could clearly see a spark relit inside him. “Alright, Luard’s Ritual! By returning normal units to the deck from the drop zone, it can Stride without paying a cost.”

It really was like a switch had flipped inside of him. All of Kazuma’s doubt seemed to have been wiped out, now that he’d formed an image of victory. “Devour! Until you seize the world you’re seeking”, he called out, with more passion than he’d shown all game, “Stride Generation! Dragdriver, Luard!” With another series of Superior Calls and Ritual abilities, Taiyou was seeing it too. Kazuma’s path to victory. By the time he’d used Luard’s skill to add 6000 more power to himself with the Grade 1 cards in his drop zone, it was almost sealed. Kazuma looked proudly down at his avatar for a moment, before locking eyes with Taiyou, “This is my Vanguard! Attack Vanguard with Dragdriver, Luard!”

With no other option, Taiyou simply said, “No guard.” It would depend on whether or not Kazuma was able to pull a critical now.

“Triple Drive...” The first card, nothing. The second card, his hand starts to shake a little again, and there’s still no trigger. But for the third, he seems to rally himself, and said just loudly enough for Taiyou to catch, “Respond to my call...” And flipped over the third card to reveal- “A critical trigger!” And yet, despite all that passion and confidence, he sounded dumbfounded when he called, “The power goes to Knies, and the critical to Luard.”

There really was nothing he had that could stop the attack... Taiyou placed his sixth damage down, while Kazuma still looked more stunned than anything. “I... won?” he said, “I did?”

Chrono smiled, and patted him on the shoulder. “Heh, I knew it. You’re just as tough as ever.”

Kazuma barely reacted to that, and just kept staring at Taiyou’s damage zone, like the sixth card was going to vanish in front of him. Taiyou sighed, then crossed the table to him. “That’s right. As expected of the person who first taught Chrono-san.” Kazuma jumped, mouth slightly agape, but Taiyou just smiled and offered a hand to him, “I’m looking forward to fighting alongside you, Kazuma-san.”

Finally, Kazuma managed to shake off his confusion, and took Taiyou’s hand with a smirk. “Same here.” And then, caught somewhere between sheepish and reluctant, “Sorry. Shouldn’t have underestimated you like that. Figures anyone this guy vouches for would be a pain to fight.”

Taiyou laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“So,” Chrono said, “Still have any concerns about the team?” Kazuma rolled his eyes, but shook his head. “Great! Now, about the tournament... some other friends of ours are going to be joining too, on their own teams. We’re thinking we should have a meeting beforehand, get everyone on the same page about what’s going on with Kazumi. Maybe Friday night, if that works for you?”

Kazuma hesitated, then asked, “There gonna be anything to eat?”

“Probably. Haven’t had one of these get-togethers yet that hasn’t.”

“Fine, I guess I can stop by. Where’s it gonna be?”

“We’ll just meet at Card Capital 2.” He grinned at Taiyou. “Sorry to make you come all the way here again, but Tokoha insisted. She says she’s missed it.”

Taiyou beamed at the news. “Not at all, I don’t mind! She’s really going to be staying for the whole tournament, then?”

“Yeah. Dunno who her team is yet, but she’s pretty determined to find one.” He looked back at Kazuma. “Don’t worry, I’ll introduce you to everyone then. Bet they’re all gonna be excited to actually meet you.”

“Sheesh, what kind of stories are you even telling about me...” He sighed and crossed his arms, leaning back just out of Chrono’s grip. “Look, I’ll be there, so can I go now? I’ve got somewhere to be.”

Chrono blinked, taken aback by Kazuma’s sudden declaration. “Ah, sure, that’s fine-”

“See you soon, Kazuma-san,” Taiyou said, putting his best United Sanctuary smile back on, “Have a good rest of your day.”

Kazuma rubbed the back of his neck and already started walking away while he said, “Yeah, yeah... you too, I guess.”

As soon as he was out of sight, Taiyou watched Chrono’s surprise shift towards open concern. Though he certainly understood why. “...Chrono-san,” Taiyou had to ask, “Are you sure it’s a good idea for him to be on this team? He seemed...” Terrified. “Very upset, when he started losing. A tournament would be pretty hard on him with that attitude.”

“Yeah, no surprise you noticed too...” Chrono said, then sighed, “He did seem pretty anxious in that fight, but... he’s the one who said he wanted to enter the tournament. And even if it’s hard for him, I do think he’s got a right to be involved in this. He was closer to Kazumi than I was.” He crossed his arms, staring off after Kazuma with a worried expression for a few moments, before turning back and smiling, “Besides, even if he’s scared, we can help him out with it, right? It’s always harder to face up to your fears alone.”

Of course that’d be Chrono’s answer. Taiyou smiled easily, and nodded. “That’s right.” It was Chrono,  after all, who showed him the importance of enjoying Vanguard. That failure wasn’t something to tear yourself apart over. It was something he’d seen in Hiroki, too, and now he had another opportunity to help someone through a struggle he’d already endured.

Although, Taiyou couldn’t help but hope it’d at least take less drastic circumstances for Kazuma to understand that than he and Hiroki had both needed.


	11. Preparation: Chapter 8

Almost the second Kumi left her house, she caught herself starting to hum. She just couldn’t help it, the whole way to Card Capitol 2, she was practically bouncing. There was so much about tonight to be excited for! Luna and Am were actually going to come, for one thing. It’d been weeks since they’d been able to meet in person, and it was definitely long overdue. It was going to be her first time meeting Kazuma Shouji outside of school, too. She’d tried talking to him in class a few times, but she really hoped this was a chance to get to know him better. 

But most importantly of all, Tokoha was going to be there! Even as she felt another burst of happiness at the thought, a jab of guilt was soon to follow. She knew Tokoha was only here because she lost a friend over in France. But since Tokoha was hurting, that was all the more reason why she needed encouragement and support right now, and Kumi was prepared to do whatever it took to help her.

Honestly, as soon as she got out of school, Kumi had wanted to rush right over to Tokoha’s house and pick her up. But Tokoha had some things to take care of with her own school, plus she still had to unpack, so Kumi made herself hold back. It was alright. They’d have plenty of time together for as long as Tokoha was here. Especially since Tokoha actually asked her to be on her team for the U20. It was really going to happen... Kumi was finally going to be fighting at her side. Just remembering that put an extra skip in her step, and she giggled a little as she rounded another street corner and finally caught sight of the store. 

It wasn’t quite closing time yet, but that was fine. Kumi wanted to help get things ready. When she poked her head in, she saw it was already pretty empty. “Chrono-kun, hi! Am I first?”

Chrono looked over at her from the counter and grinned. “Not quite, Taiyou had you beat.” The younger boy waved at her over by the displays, finally catching her attention.

Giving an exaggerated sigh, she came the rest of the way into the store. “Aww, even though I live closer, I still lost...”

Taiyou laughed and walked over to her. “Well, I did come right over after school. I wanted to make sure I was here on time to help out.”

Kumi beamed, and held up her hands for a pair of high-fives. “Great minds think alike! We’ll get this place ready to party in no time!” She glanced around. “Is Shouji-kun here already too?”

To her surprise, Chrono’s grin dropped a notch. “Not yet. I texted him a little while ago, though, so he should be here pretty soon.” Taiyou, too, was looking a little concerned.

She glanced between the two of them a couple of times, before asking, “Is everything going okay with him?”

“It’s hard to say...” Chrono rubbed the back of his neck. He was still smiling, but to Kumi it looked a little lonely. “I expected things to be a little awkward for a while since it’s been so long, but...” He sighed, and glanced towards his phone. “I dunno. I just hope he doesn’t feel like I’m forcing him to do this.”

“No way!” Kumi said immediately, leaning over the counter to get up in Chrono’s face. “A little thing like not seeing each other won’t change that you’re friends! I’m sure he’s missed you a lot.”

“Thanks, Kumi.” He grinned, then peeked towards the door again. Luckily, there were still no last-minute customers in sight. “Okay, I think we can start shutting things down. Taiyou, do you mind checking for any loose practice decks people might’ve left?”

Taiyou nodded, already heading towards the playing area. “Sure thing!”

“Great, thanks. And Kumi, do you mind sweeping? I’ll start shutting down the computers and get the snacks out.”

“Roger,” she said with a salute. Nothing got the cobwebs out of your head like a good clean. Despite her excitement, she couldn’t help a teeny-tiny twinge of anxiety. There were so many friends who were coming tonight that she hadn’t gotten to meet up with recently... but she couldn’t let the worries get to her. It was just like she told Chrono! As soon as they all got a chance to talk, everything would work out.

It was so easy to get absorbed in cleaning, too. It didn’t leave much room for worrying about anything but making sure you got every speck of dirt. She was so focused on her task, she almost didn’t notice when the door opened.

“Kumi-chan!” She heard a familiar voice say, and when she looked up Luna and Am were already inside. Kumi squealed and threw her arms around both of them.

“I’m so glad you two are here!” Kumi said, squeezing them both tight, “I can’t believe we’re gonna be in this tournament together.” Then she pulled back, just enough to give Luna a sneaky look, “Better watch your back, I’ve been training extra hard!”

Luna giggled. “Well, so have I, you know.”

“That’s right,” Am said, putting her hands proudly on her hips, “Don’t go thinking we’ve slacked off just because we’re busy.”

“Speaking of which...” Kumi wagged her eyebrows at them, “All that work, you two must be spending lots of time together.”

Almost immediately, Am turned red. “I- well, I guess. That’s only natural.”

“Ehe, really~” Kumi turned to Luna, asking in a mock-whisper, “Sounds like plenty of time to get all lovey-dovey to me.”

Luna looked over at Am’s now very red face, smile widening. “Well, we are idols,” she said, very properly, “We shouldn’t be encouraging any rumors.” 

“Aww, please? You can tell me about it! I mean, Chrono-kun doesn’t have  _ any  _ cute love stories like that...”

Looking over at them from the table he was setting up, Chrono raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t either.”

Kumi turned around towards him and declared, “Exactly! We’re stuck in a romance desert!”

Luna laughed, but Am just gave her a puzzled - and maybe a little sly - look, “Really? I thought you and Tokoha-”

Kumi squeaked immediately at the sudden turnaround. “Well, that’s-! I mean,” despite her attempt at staying light, she couldn’t help wilting a little, “She’s living in Paris now, after all. I couldn’t... I mean, she’s working so hard, I don’t want to distract her or anything like that...”

At that, the teasing went right out of Am’s eyes, and she said, “Sorry, I didn’t think it was a sore spot.”

“No, it’s okay,” Kumi shook her head, and managed another smile, pumping her arms in a flex, “Right now, Kumi Okazaki is Tokoha’s best friend and number one fan!  _ And _ number one teammate!”

“She’s lucky to have you, then,” Am said, with a sincerity that made Kumi feel kind of embarrassed.

“And if you ever want help, just ask!” Luna added, nodding with bright-eyed determination, “You and Tokoha always gave me advice, so you can rely on me too!”

Feeling a little flustered at the sudden support, Kumi called over her shoulder, “Chrono-kun, help! My juniors are so mature all of a sudden!”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked, finally walking over towards them.

She gave an exaggerated pout. “Maybe... but I’m gonna lose my status as the cool older sister figure at this rate.” Am stifled a giggle, which Kumi chose not to acknowledge.

“Then you’ve just gotta work hard to stay a step ahead of them,” he said, with a grin that she just couldn’t keep pretending to pout at. Turning towards the two new guests, he said, “It’s really great to see you guys, thanks for making it out here. It must’ve been a pain to get the time off.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Luna said, “We told our manager this was gonna be a meeting to get to know our third teammate, so this counts as work as far as he’s concerned.”

“He made sure we’d have the whole night for it,” Am said, with a nod. “He’s definitely a lot easier to persuade than our last manager.” The pause that fell then was heavy, and Am sounded uneasy when she asked, “Any idea how Enishi’s doing, by the way?”

“Not really...” Chrono started to say, only for Taiyou to interrupt.

“He’s been going around to the different branches, doing a lot of volunteer work.” Everyone turned to look at him, even Chrono. “I asked Ibuki-san about it, when I heard he retired. He said when Enishi-san’s decided to try and understand what he can do for Vanguard from the ground up.”

“Hm...” Am looked thoughtful for a few moments, then sighed, “Good luck to him, then, I guess.”

Kumi paused, and asked the two girls, “Have you not talked with Enishi-san at all?”

“No, I... I don’t think it’d be a good idea,” Am said, crossing her arms. Even Luna looked down and nodded, very subdued all of a sudden.

“Okay,” Kumi said. There was a lot she didn’t know about what happened last year. Tokoha had told her that Luna and Am had been involved with what happened at Dragon Empire, and that Satoru Enishi and Taiyou’s friend Hiroki had been too. Even that guy with the glasses from Team Demise whose name she could never remember. And she knew it was big, much bigger than what got out to the public. But a lot of the specifics, and just how bad everything had really been, seemed to be a secret. Or... not secret, exactly, but something you had to be there to fully understand.

...Kumi got that feeling about a lot of things that Try3 had done together, when Tokoha told her about them.

“I’m surprised Ibuki-san hasn’t told you any of that,” Taiyou said to Chrono, who rubbed the back of his head.

“We’ve both been busy lately... there’s always a lot to cover whenever we get a chance to really talk. Guess that’s one of the things that’s slipped through the cracks.”

Taiyou tilted his head, frowning slightly. “Have you told him about any of this yet?”

“Not yet. It’d be a lot to explain through a text, and getting a call through to him isn’t always easy. So I figured I’d wait until I can tell him in person.” He crossed his arms, tapping his foot a little. “I’m definitely going to before the U20, though, even if I have to drag him out of his office myself.”

Taiyou laughed, but it sounded like he agreed. “I’m sure Mamoru-san will help you with that if you need it.”

The door opened again, and this time Shion and Kazuma both came in. Shion raised a hand in greeting, “Hello, everyone. Sorry if I’m a little late.”

“Hey,” Kazuma said simply, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets. 

“No problem, you’re both on time,” Chrono said with a grin, “Hang on, I’m just gonna go change the sign.” While he hurried to finish closing, Kumi looked around at the room, at everyone who was here. If felt like it had been ages since she’d last seen so many of her friends in one place, and it made her feel a little giddy. The feeling was only reined in by the fact that Tokoha still wasn’t there yet. She didn’t mean to be impatient, but she checked her phone again just in case there was a message. Nothing yet. She slipped it back into her pocket, just in time for Chrono to get back.

“Okay, let me introduce you,” Chrono said, putting a hand on Kazuma’s shoulder, “This is Kazuma Shouji. He’s an old friend of mine.”

“We ran into each other outside,” Shion said, with that smile that always made him look a little like one of those rich bad guys from the movies, “I’m surprised, though. Chrono’s never mentioned you before. May I ask why it’s been so long since you’ve seen each other?”

“We only met ‘cause my mom worked for the Onimaru,” Kazuma said, “When we moved, I just wound up losing touch. Not that unusual, is it?” He said that last part looking directly at Shion, like some kind of challenge.

Shion smiled, leaning back on his heels. “No, not at all. It must have been a painful experience, though. I can only imagine how exciting being reunited must have been.”

“Look, never mind him,” Am said, standing firmly on the other side of the groups little cluster, “You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want.”

“That’s right, what matters is you’re here now,” Luna said, beaming and offering a hand, “And it’s very nice to meet you!”

Chrono gave Shion a quick look, while Kazuma awkwardly shook Luna’s hand. He looked a little uncomfortable... maybe he wasn’t used to this much attention? “Yeah, you too, I guess.” He looked over at Chrono, raising an eyebrow, “So, you gonna tell me who all these people are?”

“Ah, right, sorry. This is Luna and Am, from Rummy Labyrinth. They’re a Vanguard idol duo.” The pair winked and gave a quick back-to-back pose. “And this guy is Shion Kiba. We met in middle school and were on a Vanguard team together.”

“‘Kiba’,” Kazuma repeated, more muttering than anything, “That sounds familiar...”

“He’s the heir to the Kiba Corporation,” Taiyou added, helpfully.

Kazuma stared down at him for a few moments, then looked back at Shion and squinted. “ _ Another _ rich blonde heir? Seriously? Are you building a collection or something?”

“Hey, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Chrono said, looking a little uncomfortable, “Besides, trust me, that’s where the resemblance ends.”

“Oh? And just what do you mean by that?” Shion asked, putting an arm around Chrono’s shoulder. Chrono elbowed him lightly in the side.

“Don’t worry, you’ll find out on your own,” he said, sounding kinda amused. Kazuma didn’t say anything else, just kind of looked away. Kumi hesitated, wondering if something was bothering him. But just as she was about to ask, the door opened again.

“Sorry I’m late, I-” Tokoha started to say, before being abruptly cut off by Kumi and Luna both practically pouncing on her.

“Tokoha-chan!” They said, nearly in unison, and though Am hung back a little, Kumi could see her beaming too. Shion and Chrono were quick to flock over too, and Kumi supposed she could let go to give them the chance to talk. It was a flurry of greetings and high-fives and easy pleasantries like how she was settling back in, if everything was going alright, and if she missed France at all yet.

Kazuma, Kumi noticed, hung on the fringes the whole time, until Chrono introduced him and Tokoha, and even then he was pretty quiet. Maybe he was shy. He always seemed to keep to himself in class, after all. Meeting so many new people at once must be a lot to take in.

But now with everyone there, it seemed time to focus. It was sort of a thrill, Kumi felt, actually being part of a meeting like this. As everyone started to sit down at the benches, Chrono gave a quick rundown on his encounter with Kazumi Onimaru, and how the fight reminded him of Myoujin and Kanzaki. Everyone except for herself and Kazuma seemed to understand perfectly what he was talking about. Before getting her own seat, she leaned over Kazuma’s shoulder to reassure him, “Don’t worry, I know how you feel.”

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the question. “About what?”

“I know everyone, but I haven’t been able to help out the group much. It’s a little easy to feel left out, right?”

“Ah...” Kazuma seemed to want to say something, then shook his head and sighed, “Nah, I don’t care about that.”

Really? Then was she the only one who felt uneasy about it? That made her feel a little gloomy... but she hurried to take her own seat next to Tokoha, and just tried to focus on the conversation. If it was just her own problem, it was up to her to fix it.

Tokoha was talking now, and she said, “While I was in France, I was friends with one of Kazumi Onimaru’s teammates. Miguel Torres.” Kazuma shifted, sitting up a little straighter at hearing that. “And he was acting strange, too. For a couple of weeks... and he met up with Onimaru during that time.” She paused, tucked some hair behind an ear. “He... passed away recently, so I don’t know many more details than that.” But there wasn’t any pause or lack of conviction when she insisted, “But I’m sure it has to be related. Whatever Onimaru’s involved with, I bet Miguel had something to do with it too.”

“And if two teammates were,” Shion said, leaning back and rubbing his chin, “There’s a good chance the third is as well. I’ll try to see what I can find out about Verno Fahrenheart.”

“I don’t know about that,” Am said, “I mean, from the sound of it, none of them saw a lot of each other. It’d probably be pretty easy for one or two to sneak around without their other teammate ever finding out.”

Shion paused, then smiled directly at Am and said, “Of course, you would know best about that.”

The temperature in the room promptly dropped ten degrees. Taiyou coughed and turned towards Kazuma, asking, “Ah, Kazuma-san! You knew Onimaru-san too, right? Could you tell us more about what he was like?”

Kazuma paused, then looked away. “I don’t think anything from that long ago’s gonna be helpful.” After a few moments, he glanced over Tokoha. “You knew his friend. Did he... ever talk about the guy?”

Tokoha nodded. “He definitely did. Miguel really liked him a lot. He said Onimaru always acted kind of aloof, but when he’d hosted the whole team for the last U20 he’d been really courteous and attentive. They’d all had a lot of fun together from the sound of it. And,” she added, with a fond grin, “Miguel kept saying over and over how cool Onimaru was in a fight. He’d been so excited to be on a team together again and see him in action.” The grin turned melancholic, and Kumi reached over to squeeze Tokoha’s hand. Tokoha gave her a quick grateful look, then straightened again. “Any of that sound more like what you remember?”

Chrono nodded, looking relieved. “It does, actually. A lot more.” He started to smile, but seemed to catch himself and turned more serious. “So it sounds like whatever’s going on now, it most likely started sometime this last year...”

Kazuma didn’t say anything. He just kept looking down at the floor. Maybe he was lost in his own thoughts.

“Do you think it’s really something to do with the tournament?” Luna asked, “I mean, no one’s using FICA for this one, right? It can’t be exactly the same plan...”

“Well, honestly I’m not sure... but Kazumi did go out of his way to approach me. It felt like an invitation, the way he brought it up,” Chrono said, crossing his arms. “I can’t imagine it’s totally unrelated.”

Everyone fell silent for a few seconds, and then Tokoha said, “Yeah, I think so too.” Then she punched her fist against her other palm. “So whatever it is, we’re gonna charge in there and blow it wide open!”

Shion and Chrono both smiled, and Kumi did as well. As long as Tokoha was this determined, there was no way they could fail. She really believed that.

“That’s right!” Kumi said, pumping a fist in the air, “We’ll find the mastermind in no time!”

“Ah, that reminds me...” Shion said, frowning a little, “Tokoha, Kumi, do you know who you’re going to have for your third team member yet? The entry matches will be starting soon...”

Tokoha sighed. “Not yet... you guys both sniped all the best players right from under me.” She stuck out a tongue at her old teammates. “Good thing you didn’t snatch Kumi up too.”

Chrono laughed. “Not for a lack of trying, though.” He shot Kumi a friendly look. “But I guess I should’ve known who she was hoping to team up with.”

“I guess we’ll just have to run an ad or something,” Tokoha sighed, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hands. “But that was a hassle even when I was just ‘Mamoru Anjou’s sister’.” Kumi noticed Kazuma shifting a little at that. Was he a Mamoru fan too? But he didn’t say anything, and she lost the chance to ask him about it when Tokoha continued, “I don’t even wanna think about how many people we’ll have to weed through now that I’m a Generation Master...” She looked over at Kumi. “You’ve been playing a lot at Dragon Empire, right? Anyone you know who might be interested?”

“Oh... hmmm...” Kumi furrowed her brow and thought hard about everyone she’d fought recently. There were a lot of good players, but when she really thought about it, only one name stood out from the rest. Clapping her hands together and beaming, Kumi said, “I do, actually! Let’s ask Rin Hashima if she wants to join.”

In the silence, she could hear a car drive by outside the shop.

“...Huh, weird coincidence,” Chrono said, “I wouldn’t have thought ‘Rin Hashima’ was a common name.”

“Oh, no, it’s the same one. From Team Demise, remember?”

“Nnno, I remember, just...”

“You’ve been fighting her? You never mentioned that.” Tokoha frowned, and leaned in a little. “She’s not giving you a hard time, is she?”

Kumi shook her head. “No, not at all! She’s just been coming by Dragon Empire a lot since you left. And since we both missed you, it was really easy to get along.” Tokoha gave her a skeptical look, but Kumi just took a moment to savor the memory of their last fight, and puffed up her chest a little. “Fighting her’s helped me get a lot better! I’m sure she’d be great in the tournament.”

“...She would definitely be a strong ally,” Shion said slowly, “No one can argue her merits there.”

“That’s... true,” Tokoha said, but still didn’t look convinced. “But that’s not the only issue here. Chrono, all this is kind of a secret, right? Are you okay with telling her about any of it?”

“Well... I mean,” Chrono said, glancing over at Kazuma, “I don’t really know her that well, but... do you think she’d be able to keep all of this to herself?”

Suddenly, Kazuma let out a harsh breath. “Why would you even tell her in the first place?”

Chrono looked surprised. “We can’t ask her to join and then keep what we’re actually doing a secret.”

“Sure you can. They’re talking about getting someone to fill out their numbers, and if it’s not her, it’ll probably just be some other total stranger.” Kazuma put his hands in his pockets. “Do you really plan to air out all this dirty laundry to anyone they wind up settling for?”

That seemed to give Chrono pause. In the quiet that fell, Am spoke up. “I think he’s right. If we’re not completely sure she can be trusted, then we shouldn’t go telling her everything right off the bat.”

“Still a fan of secrets, I see,” Shion said, without looking at her.

Am bristled, but Luna put a hand on her arm and said, “Shion-kun, I agree with her. We’ve got a lot of people looking out for whatever Onimaru-san is doing already - having one person who’s only there for the tournament isn’t a bad idea.” She paused, then looked over at Chrono, “Unless you think he’s really dangerous?”

Chrono shook his head right away. “No, I don’t think so. He wasn’t violent or making threats, or anything like that.” Still, he looked uneasy. “But I don’t like the idea of getting someone involved who doesn’t know what they’re signing up for.”

“Well, we’re not going to ask her to do any investigating for us,” Luna pointed out, “And we don’t know what we’re getting into exactly either.”

“I guess, but...” Chrono looked over at Kumi. “Well, you’ve been spending time with her. What do you think?”

Kumi did understand the reservations they had. Kazuma especially seemed really unhappy at the idea of letting Rin in on what was going on. But, if she were honest... “I don’t think she’d like being kept out of the loop... but I don't think she'd care too much about our reasons for being there. Probably she’d just really have fun in the U20.” Tilting her head, she thought back to all the times she’d seen Rin sitting off by herself with nothing to do. “She’s looked super bored every time I’ve seen her - something like this would probably cheer her up. So, I think it’s worth asking her anyway just for that.”

After a few moments, Chrono finally nodded. “Alright. I’ll trust your judgment then.” Turning back towards Kazuma, he added, “But if it starts looking really dicey, we’ll have to tell her. Okay?” 

Kazuma shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

Kumi beamed, then suddenly gasped and looked over at Tokoha. “Sorry! I kind of took over there... do  _ you _ want to be on a team with her?”

“I...” Tokoha hesitated, then said, “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, just... do you think she’ll actually agree?”

“Good question. I’ll find out!” Kumi said, pulling out her phone to send a quick text to Rin.

“You have her number too?” Tokoha sounded kind of strange when she said that. Sort of distant. Kumi looked up at her, feeling worried, but her expression was hard to read. So she nodded and tried to sound chipper.

“Yeah! She gave it to me when she found out you were back. As soon as she heard, she was all ‘let me know as soon as she’s ready for a real rematch’.” Kumi paused, then said, “Sorry, I meant to tell you earlier. She’s really hoping to fight you before you go back to France.”

That, at least, got Tokoha to laugh, and hearing it made Kumi feel a little lighter.

 

* * *

 

With that much settled, the meeting wound up shifting into more of the welcome back party Kumi had wanted to throw Tokoha ever since her friend first told her she was coming home. Everyone wanted to talk to her, from Luna and Am telling her about a joint performance they’d done with Saaya, to Shion testing her French, to Chrono catching her up on little Ryuzu’s expanding vocabulary. 

Kazuma, unfortunately, wound up leaving pretty early. Kumi guessed that wasn’t much of a surprise - every now and then he’d drift in to get snacks, but otherwise he kept hovering around the edges of the room, obviously feeling out of place. Even when people did try to talk to him, he kept sounding annoyed or evasive and let the conversation dry out after a few minutes no matter who was approaching him. Even Chrono didn’t have much luck. Kumi thought maybe he’d warm up a little once they started fighting - it was impossible not to have fun playing Vanguard, as far as she was concerned - but she didn’t get the chance to test out her theory. By the time anyone even brought up playing a few rounds, he was already gone.

Kumi was starting to understand why Chrono was so worried about him. 

Just as she was finding herself cornered by Luna, Kumi’s phone buzzed. Two hours later, exactly, Rin had finally responded. ‘ _ We’ll see _ ,’ she had sent as an answer to the invitation, and then another text that was just a location. No doubt about it, she was declaring a match against Tokoha. Luckily - or so Kumi tried to tell herself - Luna wiped her out swiftly after that. Kumi and Tokoha took the opportunity to say their good-byes to the group, and head out to go meet Rin. 

It wasn’t a far walk - just to the bridge nearby. Along the way, Tokoha asked Kumi how she even started playing with Rin. 

“Well, I noticed she started coming by Dragon Empire a lot,” Kumi said, “I thought I mentioned that?”

“You did, just...” Tokoha tightened her lips, looking like she was thinking hard. “It’s just hard to imagine it, I guess.”

Kumi giggled. “I know, I was pretty surprised the first time I saw her there. She was all-” Kumi tossed some hair over her shoulder with a huff and said in a kind of droll, “-’So annoying, what am I even doing here?’”

“Okay,  _ that  _ I can imagine.” Tokoha snickered, before looking at Kumi with some concern. “And she really didn’t bother you, or force you to fight her, or anything like that?”

“No, really, I’m the one who was always asking her.” Kumi looked down at the sidewalk, and kicked a small rock. “Um... does it bother you that I did? You seem a little upset.”

“What?” Tokoha jumped, and shook her head rapidly, “No, sorry, I’m just... really surprised. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Well...” Kumi fidgeted. The truth - that she wanted to train secretly and get strong enough to match her - was just too embarrassing to say right to Tokoha’s face. So she said, “I just didn’t want you to worry about me stealing your rival from you.”

Tokoha snorted. “Oh, is that what she is?” But she seemed to relax a little more, finally. Seeing that, it was easy for Kumi to do so too. She lightly bumped her shoulder against Tokoha’s, feeling very suddenly just how much she missed being this close to her best friend.

When they finally reached the bridge, Rin was already waiting for them. Leaning against one of the lamp posts, Vanguard table already set up, she pulled a lollipop out of her mouth and practically purred, “So, Tokoha Anjou. All this time away, and you still find yourself having to crawl to me for help.”

“Hi, Rin-chan!” Kumi said with a big smile, “Yeah, it’d be a super huge help if you were part of our team.” Even in the dark, she could see Rin twitch slightly. It really was funny how she reacted when you played off her taunts like this.

“‘Rin-chan’?” The older girl leaned towards her with a scowl, “And what exactly happened to ‘Hashima-senpai’?”

“Well, since I won last time, I figured we should be a little less formal.” Tokoha raised an eyebrow at her, and then back at Rin, looking deeply amused. Kumi just tilted her head and added as sweetly as she could, “Don’t you think?” 

“Tch, that’s-” Rin started to say, but then noticed Tokoha looking at her and straightened back up with a light sniff. “Well, nevermind that. It’s time for you, Tokoha Anjou, to prove you still deserve my attention.” She walked over to the table, placing her deck on it firmly, with a wide smirk. “I believe this rematch is long overdue.”

Tokoha blinked, and then - to Kumi’s delight- started to grin. “You know what? You’re right,” she said, stepping up to the table as well and pulling out her own deck, “Wouldn’t want you to think our last fight proved anything.”

“Then I’ll referee!” Kumi declared, raising an arm and hurrying over between the two of them. Rin looked at her, and something in her eyes made Kumi shiver. It felt totally different from how Rin looked when she was at Dragon Empire. Like something had been relit.

“Alright, Okazaki, watch closely,” Rin said, “And you’ll see what I’m really capable of.”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Tokoha answered, looking so confident and determined. The way Kumi loved seeing her most of all.

All at once, Kumi felt herself brimming with excitement. This  _ was _ a good idea, she felt certain of that now. Rin was exactly who she wanted with them for this. When their decks were both ready, Kumi called out, “Match start!”, and dropped her arm dramatically.

Their eyes locked, and Kumi could feel the sparks in the air. “Stand up,” the two of them said in unison, “Vanguard!”


	12. Preparation: Chapter 9

Chrono tried not to fidget too much as he waited by the shoe lockers. He really didn’t want to be pushy, and he already felt like he was. But if something was bothering Kazuma, it’d be better to try and clear the air soon, right? He couldn’t just keep hoping it was residual awkwardness that would go away on its own. So when he finally saw Kazuma, he grit his teeth and took the plunge.

“Hey, Kazuma,” he said, waving a hand to catch the other boy’s attention. Kazuma hesitated a moment, but nodded and continued getting his shoes.

“What is it? We didn’t have any plans for the team today, right?”

“No, but it’s been a while since we talked just the two of us.” Chrono stepped over to Kazuma’s side, hoping his smile looked anything resembling natural, “So I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to walk with me to work.”

Honestly, Chrono kind of expected to be turned down. But after a few moments of thought, Kazuma straightened back up and said, “I guess I’ve got time for that.”

Immediately, he burst into a big, relieved grin. “Great! Thanks.”

Kazuma shrugged a shoulder, looking a little awkward at the exuberance. “It’s not that big of a deal,” he said, as he followed Chrono out through the entrance.

“Maybe, but I’m still happy about it,” Chrono said, “ I really have been wanting to talk to you more.”

“...About what?”

There was something in Kazuma’s tone - a wariness, almost - that made Chrono glance back over his shoulder at him. His expression was stiff and carefully neutral, but that just made Chrono worry more. “Well...” No point beating around the bush. “Look, am I bothering you?”

The neutrality was betrayed with a confused blink. “Huh?”

“I mean, you always seems kind of tense when we hang out. And the other day, you kept to yourself mostly, and left pretty early...” Chrono stopped walking, to look Kazuma in the eye. “If you feel like I’m pushing you to do all of this, you can say so. I’ll back off.”

The other boy hesitated, but after a few seconds of seeming to wrangle with his answer, just said, “No, you’re fine. That’s not it. It’s just...” He looked away, then rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. “Seriously, just dumping me into the middle of all your new friends at once? I hardly knew anyone,  of course it was tense.”

Chrono winced, feeling guilty. “Ugh... you’re right. Sorry, I thought it’d be easier to meet them all at once instead of having to explain the situation over and over. I didn’t think it’d be that overwhelming.”

Kazuma frowned, and said bitterly, “Well, sorry to disappoint.” Chrono blinked, but there wasn’t room to protest before his friend continued, “Not to mention one of them was a friggin’ rich kid... a little warning would’ve been nice.”

The guilt he felt only weighed on him more heavily. “Yeah, I hadn’t thought about that. But you don’t have to worry about Shion - I’ve asked him before, and his family isn’t involved with the Onimaru at all.” Chrono put a hand on Kazuma’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “It’s okay, he won’t find out anything you don’t want him to.”

“...Are you sure?” Kazuma said, crossing his arms tightly, “It sure felt like he suspected something.”

“Shion... it’s a long story, but he really went through a really hard time because of what happened last year. I think he’s just trying to be more cautious this time around.” Chrono leaned over, trying to catch Kazuma’s eye. “But if he tries to snoop or anything, I’ll stop him. Promise.”

Letting out a rattling breath, Kazuma seemed to relax a little at the reassurance. “...Okay. Fine.” Then he looked up at Chrono and added, almost embarrassed, “And, um, thanks for backing me up about... y’know. Everything.”

“Of course, I get it,” Chrono said, patting him lightly before pulling his hand back, “Just, if you do ever do want to tell them the truth about you and Kazumi, they _can_ all keep a secret. Better than you might think.”

Kazuma grimaced, and just let it drop with a noncommittal grunt. Chrono wished again he’d asked more about Kazuma and Kazumi’s situations back when they were kids. Back then, he’d been vaguely aware it must’ve been a complicated situation, but he’d always felt like he didn’t have a right to ask for anything more specific. He was their guest, after all. But if Kazuma wasn’t supposed to even talk about being related to Kazumi now, it must have been way worse than he thought. Though, they were talking about a family who’d kick someone out as a child. Chrono guessed it wasn’t entirely a surprise.

In any case, Kazuma looked like he didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so Chrono figured a change in subject was due, “So hey, while we’re at the shop, why not grab a few booster packs? You might get something good!”

Kazuma gave him a side-eye glance and smirked, but looked a little relieved too. “Not a very subtle way to drum up business.”

“Well,” Chrono said with a grin, as he started walking again, “Is it working?”

“We’ll see. I guess I _could_ probably afford one or two.” Kazuma followed after him, and sounded like he was starting to relax again. “Not sure about mixing things up too much right before this whole Dragon Empire thing, though.”

“Y’know, you can always practice with me or Taiyou, if you want to try out a new strategy or build.”

“I guess...” There was that reticent tone again, for just a moment, before Kazuma continued more easily, “So, any idea what the players there are gonna be like?”

As they continued on their way towards the store, Chrono talking about the staff and some of the regulars he expected to see, Kazuma seemed to loosen up more and more. He snickered at the description of Trinity Dragon, and kept asking questions about what kind of clans he should expect to see, and even seemed interested in Mamoru and what other events were held there. By the time they made it to Card Capitol 2, there was a flicker of excitement in his eyes. Chrono couldn’t help but smile when he saw it.

“So, thanks for coming all this way,” he said, after he greeted Shin and he headed around the counter towards the staff room, “Did you decide if you wanna look around for a while?”

Kazuma glanced around at the store for a long second, then shrugged and said, “Why not? I’m already here, it’d be kind of a waste not to.”

Chrono grinned. “Yeah, especially considering how fast you ran out last time.” That got him a glare, but it felt more good-natured than actually angry. And once Chrono finished putting his things away and changing into his work uniform, he came out to see Kazuma still there.

It really was an unbelievable relief, seeing Kazuma actually look at ease for once. Even when he didn’t look anxious or panicked, Kazuma always seemed to try and keep a tight lid on how he was feeling. But right now, at least, there was honest curiosity in Kazuma’s face, whether he looked at the displays or watched some of the other customers fighting. Chrono kept an eye on him at first, but eventually just decided to just let Kazuma look around at his own pace. He _was_ at work, after all, and if Kazuma was enjoying having time to himself, then there was no reason to bug him.

As he got into the flow of his job, answering questions and ringing up purchases while Shin took care of unpacking new inventory, he expected at some point that Kazuma would stop over at the counter to talk. He didn’t expect the boisterous, “Oi, Chrono! You holding things together alright?”, that rang out from the entrance.

Chrono looked to the doorway, and beamed as soon as he saw who had just walked in. “Kamui-san! It’s been a while.”

The older boy grinned at him, giving wink and a salute, before he leaned over against the counter. Shin poked his head out from the back, raising an eyebrow at him. “You’re not working today?”

“Ahh, don’t worry, I’m going in later.” Kamui waved a hand dismissively, “But it’s been ages since I last stopped by! Don’t wanna get rusty, right?”

Chrono felt himself starting to grin, and looked back over his shoulder at Shin. “Do you mind if I take a quick break?”

Shin smiled easily and nodded. “Alright, go ahead. A fight between you two ought to be a good advertisement.” Then, with a quick glance at Kamui, “Besides, you don’t have a habit of using work time to play.”

“Hey, I worked plenty hard when I was here,” Kamui said with a pout, but it didn’t last long. “C’mon, Chrono, show me what you’re made of.”

While they were getting set up at one of the tables, Kazuma wandered over to see. “Something going on? Who’s this guy?”

“This is Kamui-san,” Chrono said, while Kamui put his hands on his hips proudly, “He used to work here, but transferred back to the main branch this year.”

“C’mon, what kind of introduction is that?” Kamui said, with a tease in his voice. “This kid here, _I’m_ his teacher, the one who taught him everything he knows about Vanguard!”

“Oh, really,” Kazuma said in a flat tone, before raising an eyebrow as Chrono. “What does that make me, then?”

“Kamui-san reintroduced me to Vanguard, after I finally got my own deck,” Chrono explained, deciding that the story of how he got Gear Chronicle could wait for another, longer time. “He’s a great player, and he really went out of his way training me and my team. We couldn’t have gotten as far as we did without him.” Kamui beamed, puffing his chest up even more with every compliment. Chrono smirked a little, then turned and continued the introductions, “But Kazuma’s the first person I ever played with. He taught me a lot - I wouldn’t have any good memories of the game from back then if it weren’t for him.”

“Ohh, that’s right,” Kamui said, eyes widening, “You did mention you played a little before...  well, hey, nice to finally meet you! Guess that makes us co-tutors for this guy.”

Kazuma blinked, face turning a little pink as he looked down. “It really wasn’t anything big...” he muttered, but when Kamui offered a hand towards him, after a moment, he shook it. “Nice to meet you too, I guess.”

Kamui beamed, then turned back towards Chrono. “Okay, enough stalling. Unless you’re afraid of losing in front of your friend.” But the mild taunt just made Chrono grin, and they finally began the fight.

Fighting Kamui was always a rush. It was so easy to see his towering robots on the wasteland he chose for their battle, standing tall and proud against the starry horizon. Kamui’s strength was no boast, and he knew Chrono’s deck so well that trying to surprise him was a constant struggle. But Chrono hadn’t slacked off either. There was a fight waiting for him up ahead that he needed to be ready for.

The barrage of firepower went back and forth, Kamui’s robots weathering what they could head-on and shielding themselves from what they couldn’t, and Chrono’s Time Beasts leaping in and out of the fray to deliver every blow they could manage. The shine of metal armor under stars and the light from the lasers and missiles illuminated Chrono’s imagination more and more brightly, until finally, he managed to break through with the critical hit he needed.

With the fight over, the images faded. He felt himself settling firmly back into reality when Kamui leaned over to give his hair a ruffle.

“Good job! As expected, you haven’t been slacking off at all,” he said with a grin.

Chrono laughed, pulling back out of reach. “‘Course not. I know I have to bring out all the stops when I’m fighting you.”

He was still feeling flush from the excitement of the fight, until he looked over at Kazuma to ask what he thought and his stomach dropped immediately. Kazuma’s face was blank, his eyes distant.

“Kazuma?” Chrono asked, “You okay?”

Kazuma flinched, blinking a few times at Chrono, then looked down and said. “Yeah. Fine. I gotta go.”

“What?” But Kazuma was already walking away, leaving Chrono to hurry after him. “Wait, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”

“No. No, no, you were great. Pretty much amazing, really,” Kazuma said, laughing in a hollow way, as he continued out the door to the sidewalk, “That guy too. Guess that’s the level you’re on now.”

Chrono tilted his head, honestly baffled about the turn this all had taken. But he kept following. “And that bothers you?” Kazuma’s mouth tightened, and he didn’t answer. “Hey, you don’t have to worry, you’re a great player too. You beat Taiyou, remember?”

“Only because you told me what to do,” Kazuma muttered, low enough that Chrono almost didn’t catch it.

“All I did was remind you to take another look at your field,” he tried to remind him,  “You’re the one who figured out what to do.” Still no answer. He tried again, “And hey, if you’re really that worried, we’d both be happy to practice with you. It’s fine, neither of us are gonna mind if you want some help.”

“...Why are you trying so hard?”

“Huh?”

Kazuma looked up at him, but the lid was back on and Chrono wasn’t sure how to read his expression anymore. “You could just ask that Kamui guy to be on your team, he’s already great. If I’m such a project compared to you, why are you even bothering?”

“I didn’t say you were a ‘project’,” Chrono said, sternly to cap his own alarm, “I just said I could help if you wanted it. Giving your friends a hand when they need it is normal.”

“This isn’t normal!” Kazuma snapped, “You- you have friends already. Lots of them. You don’t need to-” Then his phone vibrated, cutting him off. He looked at it, and in a quiet voice that wasn’t exactly relief, said, “Whoops. Looks like I really do have to go.”

“Wait a minute-”

But Kazuma was walking away, and just shot back over his shoulder, “Don’t wanna run out on your job, do you?”

That stopped him, all the more when Chrono looked back through the glass door and noticed Shin looking after him with obvious worry. So, finally, all he called out was, “See you at Dragon Empire tomorrow, then?”

For a moment, he thought Kazuma would dismiss that too. But then he waved a hand and said, “Sure. See ya,”  without looking back.

Chrono watched him go for another couple of seconds, before turning and going back inside. That Kazuma was suffering from a pretty serious lack of confidence was obvious. And he could guess that it had something to do with the Onimaru family, and maybe Kazumi too. But until Kazuma actually decided to open up to him, there was only so much he could do or say to help. For now, he’d just have to hope that if they won the qualifier, Kazuma might start to have more faith in himself.


End file.
